Scent
by BevNPicard
Summary: Post Threshold story. Kathryn and Tom deal with some unusual side effects of their Warp 10 flight.
1. Chapter 1

This story is finished, there will be no waiting for me to write the next chapter, you just have to wait for me to post. This is my first finished fan-fic that isn't Picard/Crusher, but, I really like the idea of the Janeway/Paris pairing and I've been on a Voyager kick lately, so, I decided to give writing the pairing a shot. I hope you all enjoy the story.

**Scent**

"_I've thought about having children, but, I must say, I've never considered having them with you." _

Captain Janeway had said those words with a crooked smile and in all honesty to Tom Paris. The lieutenant had been ill at ease and somewhat embarrassed after the events which had occurred in recent days and Janeway had used this as a means of alleviating Tom's worries and putting him at ease.

The problem now was they had been stuck in sickbay together for the last two days and that was really all she could think about. _'What the hell is wrong with me?'_ she scolded herself. Kathryn had spent plenty of down time in sickbays in the past, with very little to occupy her mind, but, never had she spent that time fantasizing about mating with a subordinate.

She needed to get out of sickbay, and get out now.

"Doctor, I don't see why you can't just release us to our quarters," she said in her command voice with her hands on her hips, even though it never seemed to hold much weight with the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram.

"Captain, nothing remotely close to this has ever happened before, at least as far as Federation science knows, and the two of you need to be monitored to make sure everything is going as I have planned."

"Really, Doctor, nothing has changed in our condition in almost 24 hours, your brilliance has been proven once again. Can't we at least sleep in our own beds tonight?" Kathryn heard Tom snicker from behind her.

"While you are correct about my brilliance, no, you may not leave sickbay tonight." The EMH said. "Nothing you will threaten me with will cause me to change my answer," he added as he saw the Captain's eyes narrow and her mouth begin to open.

"Fine," she said. "I am leaving here in the morning with or without your consent," she added as she turned and headed back to the diagnostics bed.

"Nice try," Tom said from his perch on the side of his bed, as she stepped between their two beds. "If he was flesh and blood, he would have completely fallen for the stroking of his male ego and we'd both be out of here and on our way to better places. You do that rather well."

"Perhaps we should consider a subroutine to that effect," Janeway joked, casually placing her hand on Tom's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze as he laughed lightly at her suggestion.

Heat burned through her hand at the point of contact with Tom's shoulder and up her arm like lightening, the gentle squeeze of his shoulder turned into a soft caress of his bicep . A feeling of contentment washed over her, just as a raw hunger, like she had never known, shot through her. Her feelings were in complete contradiction with each other and she was surprised by the strength of both her sudden contentment and her hunger.

A wonderful heat infused her entire body as her eyes slowly met Tom's. She looked into Tom's eyes and saw all the same emotions she was feeling reflected in them Complete shock was also written clearly on his face. She was sure Tom saw shock in her eyes, as well.

She was entranced by the feelings pulsing between them, the heat and the smell of his body. She moved towards him without a thought other then how much she needed to feel his lips against hers at this moment.

"Captain, I'll be happy to release the both of you tomorrow, after I run a few more tests," the EMH said as he made his way from his office into the outer sickbay area, following shortly on the Captain's heals.

"Wonderful," Kathryn said as she took a step away from Tom, shaking her head to clear it, and turned towards her own diagnostic bed. "That really isn't soon enough," she added more quietly.

"Getting tired of Lieutenant Paris's company, Captain?"

"Tom's company is not the problem," she replied, trying desperately to keep her arousal out of her voice, "Just a little tired of cooling my heals, so to speak. I'm ready to get back to work."

As the Doctor turned and left, the pair glanced at each other briefly and looked away. Communicating with a mere look that they shouldn't bring up the last three minutes. The feelings and the heat that had engulfed her body when she had innocently placed her hand on Tom's shoulder remained with her and were reminiscent of the feelings that they had shared down on the planet.

"I need to get out of here," she heard Tom say under his breath, "This is too much."

_'As soon as we have time to step away from each other, this...this, whatever it is, is going to fade __away. It's just leftover from the changes that took place in us. Things will go back to normal as soon as we can get out of sickbay and have some time to ourselves, time to put our thoughts about the experience in perspective.'_ Kathryn thought to herself as she tried to get some rest and not think about Tom.

Neither of those things happened. Tom and Kathryn both had a very restless night.

=/\=

Kathryn and Tom sat on the ends of their biobeds as the EMH finished his scans of the pair and gave a long winded list of instructions they were to follow if they wanted to leave sickbay this morning. Tom finally had to cut him off, he _needed_ to leave. The only alternative to getting away from his commanding officer was to go ahead and kiss her, which, considering that he still valued his life, wasn't really an option, at all. Damn, she had become more and more distracting as their time together in sickbay had slowly passed.

Tom noticed two things; he was starting to fidget and the Captain smelt amazing. "I think we got it Doc," he started. "Straight to our quarters, where we are suppose to relax and try to rest for the next couple of days. We need to report to you in the morning so you can run your scans on us, again. If we have any out of the ordinary things occur we are to contact you immediately. Last, but, certainly not least, neither one of us is allowed to return to duty until you clear us," Tom finished in a flourish.

"I don't see why I can't just go to my ready room, I'm perfectly fine."

"Captain, I will keep you here if I feel you can't abide by my medical instructions."

"Not to worry," she said quickly, putting her hand up to forestall anything else the Doctor was planning on saying. "I'll do as you have instructed."

"The experience that both of your bodies have been through is enormous, I want to give them time to adjust before administering all inoculations that are currently required by Starfleet for active duty officers. The evolution and subsequent de-evolution has rendered all previous inoculations null. Both of you should be prepared for a long round of hypo-sprays before you return to duty."

Both Tom and Kathryn jumped off their beds as the Doctor was finishing his sentence. "We will both see you in the morning, Doc," Tom said as he made a hasty exit.

"Thank you, I'll see you in the morning, Doctor," Kathryn said as she walked from the room.

Tom waited just outside of sickbay for her. It was a rare moment when the young man would find himself at a loss for words. This was one of those times. He began with a stammer, "Umm... Captain … I think..." he started, then paused, starting again, "May I..."

Kathryn held up a hand to silence him, "We've both been through a challenging situation, Lieutenant, there are bound to be some things that will take a short while to go back to normal. But, they will go back to normal." She said with a clipped tone and then she turned away from him as she headed for the turbolift.

"Understood, Captain," he said to her retreating form. Tom stood there and let her enter the lift alone, waited a few moments and entered an empty lift and headed for his quarters.

=/\=

Kathryn was spending her doctor ordered time off sifting through the never ending pile of reports that needed her attention on a daily basis. Three days on the planet followed by three days in sickbay and she had a lot of catching up on her hands. With a PADD in one hand and her favorite blend of coffee in the other, the Captain had set to work, planning on making her way through the myriad of reports before her.

Sitting down the PADD on the low table before her, she ran her hand through her hair as she asked the computer for the time. She realized she had been sitting here for nearly two-and-a-half hours and had made it through exactly one report. One engineering report that she could no longer remember the contents of. She swore softly, muttering to herself about her recent lack of mental self control.

Kathryn had been sure that the sudden preoccupation with Lieutenant Paris, her subordinate, was due in large part to the Doctor not letting her work while in sickbay. He'd said no unneeded stress as their bodies acclimated to being human once again. She had been left with nothing to do, in the absence of more pressing concerns her mind had traveled back to her conversation with Tom and then back down to the planet where they may have been glorified lizards, but, they had also possessed many heightened senses and a hyper-awareness of each other that had been amazing. Because, while she didn't remember the small details of what happened on the planet, she did remember the multitude of sensations and how aware and connected she had been to Tom. She was sure that Tom's memory was the same as hers.

Now, she realized that she had spent most of the last three hours fantasizing about Tom Paris. She rose from her position on the sofa and headed to the replicator, calling for another coffee as she went. She reached for the coffee and immediately brought it to her nose, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. Mixed with the rich, deep, calming aroma she had expected, she had also been assaulted with a deep, husky maleness that was distinctive to Tom Paris. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. She had to be imagining that. When she took another tentative sniff the scent of Tom Paris intermingled with the scent she wanted, the calming aroma of coffee.

She moved around her quarters in a rather agitated state. She realized that every breath she took was filled with Tom. Tom, who wasn't even on the same deck as her, let alone the same room, encompassed her senses. It was no wonder she had been fantasizing about him so intently all morning.

Kathryn realized she needed a distraction from the places her imagination kept going to and decided to do the one thing she almost never did of her own accord, go talk to the Doctor. 'I suppose this counts as an unusual symptom,' Kathryn surmised as she left her quarters and headed for sickbay and a talk with the Doctor.

=/\=

"Absolutely no help at all!" Kathryn ranted aloud to herself as she entered the turbolift that would return her to deck 3 and her quarters. The EMH had demanded that they report any unusual symptoms to him immediately, she had done just that, albeit in a round about way. She hadn't come right out and said, "I can smell the amazing scent of Tom Paris all around me, no matter where he is on Voyager and when I come in contact with him an absolutely delicious heat spreads through my body. All of this leaving me with a complete feeling of need." Instead she had simply stated that she had a heightened sense of smell and touch, she really was not prepared to have the exact nature of these heightened senses written in a report or her medical file.

The Doctor had given her no quick fix or explanation for this leftover from the evolutionary process, as he had called it. He would look into it, but, in all likelihood it would resolve itself in time. The EMH had said to enjoy the above average human abilities, while she still had them.

Of course, if she'd been completely honest with the ship's doctor he might have seen the problem with enjoying her heightened awareness.

Enjoying it really wasn't an option, as it appeared as if all of her senses were fixated on one thing and one thing only; Tom Paris. No, she really couldn't enjoy Tom Paris the way her body was telling her too.

Her body was positively tingling and that was when she realized that the turbolift had a lone occupant, the man that was the center of her current ruminations.

"Been to see the Doctor about something, Captain?" he said.

"Yes," she answered, her fingers itching to reach out and grab him.

She watched Tom closely and noticed immediately as he inhaled, nostrils flaring slightly and eyes dilating of their own accord. "You were on your way to talk to the Doctor," she surmised. "It's really no use. He doesn't know why and can't help. He told me that he'll look over his data, but, that in all likelihood this will dissipate on it's own."

"Oh, what did you tell him, exactly?" Tom asked, wondering how she had put the problem before the doctor.

"I told him that I had a heightened sense of touch and smell, and that it was becoming distracting," she told him.

"Not a lie, but, not the truth," Tom replied, regarding her with his clear blue eyes and a smile that sent her thoughts rocketing to unimaginable places.

"Exactly," she said, as she inhaled deeply, letting his scent wash over her. "Deck three."

The moment the turbolift door closed and they were alone, they moved together without any conscious thought. Their lips crashed together, he pulled her closer, their hearts beat in a frantic rhythm, she twined her hands around his back and moved her fingers through his hair, as they continued to kiss without thought to who might come upon them.

The moment the turbolift doors parted they jumped apart in shock and Kathryn made a hasty exist out of the lift and into the blessed empty hallway. "I might have to rethink what we need to tell the doctor," she said as she studied Tom with her new awareness of him.

She pointed to the both of them and stated in a low gravelly voice, "This can't happen again."

Tom studied her for a few moments, not speaking. Kathryn noticed that he looked as if he was trying to find the answers to some important questions. Tom called for his deck as he glanced back at Kathryn, who stood there staring after him, willfully having to force her body not to move. As the doors closed on him, she heard him state, "I'm not sure that we have a choice."

=/\=

Tom Paris found himself in Cargo Bay 2 doing inventory. Not his job, but, he was in desperate need of something to do. Inventorying the cargo bay would take hours. If the truth was to be told, he was trying to get his mind away from the Captain. Endless amounts of work seemed like a good idea when he started.

It wasn't working.

She was invading his senses, he was enveloped in the essence of his Captain. No distraction was working, he'd had lunch with Harry in the mess hall earlier and hadn't been able to give his friend his full attention. _ 'Hell, Harry hardly got any of my attention,' _Tom thought. It was all directed at Janeway and she wasn't anywhere near the mess hall that afternoon.

Before his failed attempt to find a distraction in Harry, Tom had spent the morning in his quarters alternating between trying to read and chastising himself for his frequent errant and torrid thoughts about his Captain. When he had realized he could actually smell her, and it wasn't part of his very vivid fantasies of her, he'd decided to pay a visit to the Doc.

On his way to sickbay, Tom realized he had no idea how to broach this matter with the EMH. How much information should he give to the Doctor, he wondered as he thought of all the glib comments the Doctor might make if he just stated the entire truth to him. Tom really didn't want to put himself through that uncomfortable situation, not to mention the Doctor would insist on talking with the Captain to see if she was experiencing similar effects. Then there was the fact that he didn't want it written in a report somewhere that he had a serious case of lust for the captain of the Federation starship Voyager and was finding it near impossible to keep it in check.

He was still considering what to tell the Doctor when the turbolift door slid open to reveal the subject of his current fantasies leaving sickbay and entering the turbolift. Tom could feel the hair of his body stand on end the moment he spotted her. They had a short conversation about her meeting with the Doctor before the doors closed. The minute they were alone all hell had broken loose, so to speak.

This is what had led him to the Cargo Bay, far from people and far from her. That had been the most amazing kiss of his life, and he'd spent a lot of time kissing women. It had lasted 15 seconds, 20 seconds tops and now he was left with the remembered feel of his lips pressed against hers and her ever present scent. He'd realized how little control each one of them had over the situation as she had stood there trying to retake control of herself and the situation. "This can't happen again," she had said in a voice that belong to a woman who expected her every request to be obeyed and took for granted that it would be. There was no need for Kathryn Janeway to shout or make demands when all she had to do was give a look and a word.

Tom, on the other hand, had always found obedience hard and he thought, in this instance, Kathryn Janeway might struggle just as hard as he always did.

=/\=

Tired of sitting in her quarters, unable to concentrate on the mountain of PADDs before her, and angry at herself for her inability to remove thoughts of Tom Paris from her mind, Kathryn left the confines of her quarters in hopes of finding a little peace of mind.

She walked the halls of her ship. Deck 15, deck 14, deck 13, she continued to walk the halls, deck after deck. Only skipping deck 4 in hopes that Tom was on that deck, in his quarters. The Captain didn't stop in to check on any departments and other then a few nods and hellos to some of her crew, she didn't speak to anyone. She had walked nearly her entire ship and was still as on edge as when she started, perhaps even more so. She made her way through the last of the lower decks, entering cargo bay 2 and coming face to face with the person she simultaneously wanted to avoid and go to.

Tom Paris.

Kathryn began to tingle as her entire body flushed with want. Her eyes didn't leave Tom's face as her brows drew together, as if she was studying him in order to write a scientific paper about him.

Tom took in the studied look on her face and her clenched fists at her sides. He realized she was having the same difficulties with the after effects of their evolution as he was. "Captain," Tom began, but, wasn't sure where to go from there. He wanted to tell her that he would leave, but, his body was screaming at him that he should stay here with her.

Before either one of the two realized it, they had both moved towards each other. Kathryn took notice that they were inches apart and a breathy, "Damn," slipped from between her lips as she clasped Tom's forearms, the heat of his body radiating through his jacket and engulfing her.

Tom's need for his Captain overtook his common sense as his gaze traveled to her mouth, he gathered her small frame into his arms and kissed her soundly.

They were on the floor, clothes discarded, before either of them considered what it was they were doing. It was hot and fast and rough and aching, the furthest thing from romantic. But, neither wanted or needed romance in their primal need for each other. She begged, "Tom, please ..." and sunk her nails in to the flesh of his arms. He'd growled low in his throat, answering her pleas, he kissed her again and again, and brought her quickly to heated readiness, then with no preamble, thrust himself straight into her.

It was explosive and amazing, hard and fast, flesh to flesh, both of them flushed with desire. Neither Captain or Lieutenant giving a thought to who they were and what this might mean. Proper, strong, no nonsense Captain Kathryn Janeway had let her cheeky, free spirited and slightly insubordinate helm officer take her on the floor of Cargo Bay 2.


	2. Chapter 2

The pair quickly came down from their orgasmic high. Coming back to themselves as awareness of their surroundings returned. Tom was resting on Kathryn, bearing the brunt of his weight on his forearms, while her knees loosely hugged his hips.

Kathryn shivered slightly, and Tom said, "I'll get your clothes," as he rolled to the side of her, he grabbed hold of her pants with an outstretched arm and quickly handed them to her.

They were silent as they dressed.

Kathryn zipped her Starfleet jacket and fingered the four pips on her tunic to make sure they were fastened securely. The silence stretched, becoming uncomfortable and stress filled.

She reached for her boots and began to pull them on, "The boots," she said softly, mostly to herself.

Tom looked at her questioningly, not sure what she meant.

"Starfleet boots, not so easily discarded in the heat of a moment. I figured the time it took to get the boots off would be plenty of time for officers to come to their senses and consider the consequence of their actions."

She looked at Tom and then away, "I guess not," she finished in a tone of self reproach.

Tom watched her as she turned away to finish adjusting her uniform. He noted to himself how wonderful she looked all mussed, hair falling free from her usually perfectly coiffed bun and her skin flushed. Kathryn brought her hands up to her hair, she sighed as she realized there was no saving it. She quickly found the pins holding her hair in place, pulling them out and letting her hair tumble down past he shoulders.

Tom sucked in his breath at the sight of her hair flowing around her, making all the sharp lines of her face somehow softer. _'She's beautiul,'_ he thought.

He continued to watch her as she quickly gathered her hair in her hand, twisting it into a much less elaborate version of her usual bun. She secured it in place quickly, with practiced ease.

He heard a soft sigh escape her lips. He wanted to say something; anything that would make things right between them. He'd been so out of control with need, they both had been. Despite the awkwardness of the situation he felt extremely relaxed. He could think straight again, but, it did very little to help him decide what to say or do. _'Damn it! She's my Captain! Not only that, she is the person who took a huge gamble on me.' _

Now they both stood in the cargo bay, of all places, silent, not making eye contact, and with no idea of what they were suppose to do next. A long way from how they had been a few minutes before; skin to skin on the floor.

Tom finally took the leap to break the silence, someone had to, "Is … are you okay?"

"Fine," she said, squaring her shoulders and giving him a direct gaze. "I don't care what forces are at work against me, I shouldn't have allowed this to happen. This is beyond madness. I have never behaved in this manner, not when I was an ensign and certainly not when I was the Captain," she finished with a frustrated edge to her voice.

"Not exactly the activities of the best and the brightest."

"Indeed not. This is beyond unacceptable, Tom. If I'd heard of two of my crew being discovered in this position, I'd have been very disappointed in their lack of better judgment and punishment would be swift. Instead, I'm disappointed in myself, even though I know I seem to have lost all of my better sense after the transwarp flight."

Tom wanted to let the Captain know that it was okay, that he understood, but wasn't sure how to let her know without making things worse. "How do you feel now?" he asked with hesitation.

"I feel like I don't have control of myself, like something else has command of my body," she said, her voice rising only slightly. "I don't like not feeling in control of myself."

"I understand. But, that's not what I meant. How do you feel compared to how you felt an hour ago?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before you and I … well, you know, I was controlled by my need for you, I was short tempered and edgy. Honestly, it took all my will not to just go and hunt you down. Then when you walked through the door, my desire took over, I couldn't have walked out of here if I'd wanted too."

Tom continued to try to explain himself, "When I woke up in sickbay, all these feelings were there, but, they seemed to be more in the background. I thought it was because everyone was discussing what happened on the planet and that was planting thoughts in my head. Over the next couple of days, I continued to think about you and when you tried to get the doctor to let us leave I was hoping that you'd get us out of there, because I didn't know if I could last another night sleeping in the bed next to you. What happened when you touched me in sickbay, that wasn't in my head, the feeling was amazing and that just intensified my desires until they all came out tonight."

"Now, I feel like I did when we woke up in sickbay, the feelings are all still there, but I can handle them, again."

Kathryn considered Tom's words and while he was right, it didn't change what had just happened, "I just had sex with you on the cargo bay floor. I am the Captain of this ship, dammit. Captain's do not have sex with their subordinates on floors where anyone could just walk in. While I do feel more in control of myself right now, what does that mean? That I'm not about to have sex with you again in the next 10 minutes. What about in a few days? Are we going to do this all over again?"

"I'm here when ever you need me," Tom said with a smile that conveyed all his Paris charm and glibness.

Kathryn gave him her patented Captain glare which stated loud and clear, _'Don't even start with me. You will regret it.'_

"Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself."

"Try to," she let out another soft sigh. "At least it was you."

"What!" he asked, taken completely by surprise at her comment.

"What if I'd sent Ensign Kim on the test flight, like I had wanted? What if I was standing here right now with Harry instead of you?"

Tom couldn't help but give a short laugh at the thought, despite trying not to. "I see your point, Harry'd never be able to look at you again, never mind him ever showing up on the bridge."

"Exactly, others might have taken it to mean something that it doesn't and still others might have tried to use it against me," she said. "With you, I know you see it for what it is. You'll still see me as just your Captain."

"Nothing to worry about there. You can sit behind me and bark orders to your heart's content and I'll just fly your ship," he teased as some of the tension dissipated.

"I don't bark orders."

"Just keep telling yourself that, Captain."

She gave him a small lopsided smile at that. "Fine Lieutenant. I'm going to go to my quarters. Goodnight, Tom."

"Goodnight, Captain."

=/\=

Kathryn was finally able to get some work done, unable to sleep she had made her way through a large portion of the reports in her quarters. The stack of finished PADDs now nearly as large as the unfinished stack.

She only had two problems, neither of which were solvable at the moment.

The first was that, unlike Tom, when the doctor did his scans in the morning, he would know she had recently been sexually active, he had Tom's DNA on file and would know with whom. She'd either have to avoid him and not be cleared for duty or she'd have to tell him the truth. Neither prospect appealed to her.

Her second problem was her continued awareness of Tom. While it was true that the feelings were much more manageable now, it was also true that her hyper awareness of the man was still very much there. Their tryst in the cargo bay hadn't put that to rest and she feared it would just happen all over again, before this problem hopefully resolved itself.

She continued to work through the reports as Voyager's night turned into day. She finally gave into her exhaustion and fell into her bed.

Kathryn's comm badge was still on her uniform jacket in the sitting room She could hear the doctor calling for her, demanding she report to sickbay. She chose to ignore it and didn't get out of bed.

She woke to the sound of the door chime some time later. "Enter," she said automatically as she got out of bed and thew her pale pink silk robe over her nightgown.

She stopped in the entryway between the two rooms as she heard Tom's voice, "Captain, the Doctor's rather upset that you continue to ignore his summons."

"He sent me ..." he started as he turned towards her. A look of appreciation flashed across his face, as he stopped mid sentence, taking in her attire.

The look he gave her made her flush lightly with desire. He continued to gaze at her, his eyes resting on her hair, her eyes, her breasts and the curve of her hips. The intimate appraisal reminded her of the hot kiss in the turbolift and of their more intimate meeting in the cargo bay.

She shifted a little uncomfortably, as her hormones shifted themselves into overdrive and the thought of last night. They'd been hungry then, starving for each other, and completely out of their minds. Just being alone together made them lose all good sense.

They were alone together now. It was a good thing he didn't have that effect on her now. _'Liar', _she thought to herself, as she tried to focused on the fact that last night's behavior had been completely unacceptable. She told herself it was not going to happen again.

She spoke in her professional voice, in hopes of keeping this meeting on track, "I was able to get some work done last night. After all of the rest I got in sickbay, I couldn't sleep and was awake most the night. Actually, I just went to bed a few hours ago. Give the doctor my apologies and let him know I'm not ignoring him and I'll be to sickbay shortly to see him."

"I thought you might be avoiding him, so I brought this," Tom said, holding up a medical tricorder. "I might not be the best medic a starship has ever seen, but, I do know basic anatomy. I also know a routine scan of a human female would give the doctor information that the Captain would rather keep private."

"Yes, I had thought about that."

"I convinced the Doc that even I couldn't screw up a medical scan and if I did he could always have a security detail escort you to sickbay. I'll do the scan and delete the unnecessary information."

"Thank you, Tom.," she said feeling relieved.

"Don't thank me yet. I really could mess this scan up and the doctor will come away from reading it thinking you're a mutant."

Kathryn chuckled, low and rich, the sound taking him back to the night before, "Either way, mutant or not, thank you."

"Anytime," he replied and he meant that in every sense of the word and Captain Kathryn Janeway knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon, Tom sat in his quarters, willing himself not to get dressed and go to the Captain's quarters. He'd asked the ship's computer for her location a dozen times in the last couple of hours. Every time he asked he'd been rather sure that she hadn't left her quarters, though he wasn't sure why he knew that.

If only he could stop thinking about Kathryn. _'So she's Kathryn now, not the Captain?' _he berated himself and groaned, _'She's my Captain, she's my Captain, she's my Captain.'_ A fact that would be so much easier to remember if she didn't permeate every thought, every waking moment. It was damned annoying and only getting worse.

"Kim to Paris," coming over his comm badge broke his mental tirade.

"Paris here, what is it Harry?"

"Figured you might want some company for a bit. Do you want to meet me in the messhall and have some lunch?"

His first thought was to decline Harry's invitation, but, he changed his mind and agreed to meet him in a few minutes. Maybe the distraction of a full room would help get his mind off of Kathryn.

=/\=

As the day passed, Kathryn busied herself with catching up on ship's business. She almost managed to not think about Tom; almost. The moment she sat down, or got bored, or tried to rest, her unruly mind would zone right in on the memories of hot kisses that left her panting, the seductive feel of his warm possessive hands as they grasped her body …

She scowled now and impulsively ordered coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce from the replicator. _'Ice Cream. That'll do the trick.'_

If she couldn't forget Tom by staying busy, then she'd do it via pure sugar. Kathryn always found the ice cream to be pure delight with it's smooth, creamy coldness and rich taste. It was so delicious that it was impossible to think about anything else while eating it.

=/\=

Harry was telling Tom about Voyager's search for him and the Captain and it was taking everything Tom had to pay attention to his friend and participate in the conversation. Harry wanted to know what happened down on the planet and Tom gave him some vague answers, saying he didn't really remember much.

He was facing away from the door, that didn't stop him from knowing the minute she entered the room, the air about him electrified and his hair stood on end. Harry noticed her entry, also, and leaned closer to Tom and said in a low voice, "You had children with her, with the Captain."

As Kathryn and Chakotay approached them, Harry greeted them, "Captain, Commander," he said with a nod to each of them. "Good to see you, Captain."

"You too, Harry. I can't wait to get back on the bridge, reports get boring after the first 50 or so," then she turned to Tom, who was eying Chakotay, "How's your time away from the bridge going?"

"About the same as yours, it's getting a bit boring doing next to nothing," he said through clenched teeth, trying to give his voice his normally nonchalance tone.

Tom was under the impression that Chakotay was standing to damned close to his woman. _'Whoa, wait just one minute. Where had that thought come from? She's your Captain, not your woman.'_ The look Tom had given Chakotay wasn't lost on Kathryn and it worried her a bit, "I'll see you both on the bridge in a few days," she said as she and Chakotay moved to a table of their own.

When the Captain and Commander were out of earshot, Harry leaned over to Tom again, "It is on the strange side."

"What?" Tom asked, he'd been to busy watching the Captain's hips sway back and forth, itching to just reach out and grab hold of her, as she had walked passed them to pay attention to Harry while he was speaking.

"Of all the strange things to happen to us, the two of you evolving or de-evolving, what ever it was that happened, and having children together has got to be the strangest thing yet. I mean, you had children with the Captain. Even if they were lizard children, it sill means that you and the Captain had to ..."

Luckily for Tom, B'Elanna chose that moment to come up behind him and grip him by the shoulders, asking, "Hey flyboy, how's the Doctor imposed vacation?"

She slid into the empty seat next to Tom as he answered, "I don't think three days in sickbay is anyone's idea of a vacation. I'm bored and the holodecks are booked. I can't wait to get back to the conn."

Tom tried to casually scan the messhall, looking for the Captain. He noticed her eying B'Elanna in much the same manner as he had Chakotay a few minutes before. _'Damn, this is getting completely out of hand, we really should talk to the Doctor.' _he thought to himself.

He looked back at her when he heard her laugh, Chakotay was leaning towards her, telling her something and she was smiling as she listened. Tom thought they looked like a couple. He roughly pushed his chair away from the table as he stood up abruptly. He saw Kathryn look up at him with worry in her eyes. Tom took a deep breath, trying to control himself and looked at Harry, "I think I'm going to get out of here. I have to check in with the Doc. Talk to you both later."

Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief when Tom turned to leave, he had looked rather angry at Chakotay and she'd feared he was coming over to them. Whatever was going on between them was full of uncertainties. She had no way to predict his or her reactions to situations, leaving to many things up to chance.

"Is something going on between Tom and Chakotay that I don't know about?" Kathryn overheard B'Elanna ask Harry.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a little confused by the question.

"I mean, Tom looked like he wanted to take a couple of swings at Chakotay. If you know something, Starfleet, you can tell me," B'Elanna added.

"I don't know anything. Tom's been acting a bit strange since he left sickbay."

_'If they only knew the half of it.' _she thought. Then she wondered how long it would take before Harry asked Tom what was going on.

=/\=

Tom was pacing back and forth down a corridor, angry with himself over his reaction. _'She's your Captain, not your girlfriend,'_ he scolded himself. _'Even if she was your girlfriend, this would have been a huge overreaction to her having lunch with her first officer.'_

His pacing came to an abrupt halt when Kathryn came into view, he realized he had unconsciously chosen a corridor that she was likely to take on her way back to her quarters.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing?" she asked trying to keep it professional as she walked up to him.

"Walking back and forth, yelling at myself for my behavior in the mess hall," Tom said with agitation in his voice, "and though I didn't realize I was doing it, I might just be waiting for you."

"Tom ..." she started in a reproachful tone, taking a step to the side, so that she could walk past him.

He reached across her stomach and grasped her hip in his hand to stop her from leaving. "Yes, Captain," he replied in a low sultry voice.

"We're not doing this," she said in a husky voice, while she had some control over her hormones when they were just talking, with his hand placed intimately on her hip and his arm brushing against her stomach her head was spinning.

"I think that we might be," he said, quickly sliding his hand from her hip and up to brush the underside of her breast.

Kathryn sighed in pleasure and looked up and down the corridor, no one was insight. She grabbed Tom's hand, pulling him a ways down the hallway. The pair entered a darkened room.

They found themselves in a rarely used, in the Delta Quadrant, observation lounge. Tom had her in his arms before she'd finished using her command code to secure the door.

He cupped Kathryn's face between his hands, bringing their lips together roughly. He slipped his tongue between her lips and savored her taste, as he maneuvered their bodies towards the long table in the center of the room. As her backside came in contact with the table she moaned, running her hands across his shoulders and through his sandy blond hair. His pulse beat strong in his throat, and his hardness pressed against her. Kathryn was lost in the sensations he was stirring in her.

He nudged his knee between hers, pressing himself full length against her body. His thigh was resting between her legs, right against her opening. Even through their clothes, she wanted more than anything to slide along his thigh, to savor the sweet friction.

He cradled her backside in his hands, pulling her closer, while his tongue flicked into her mouth, again. Their kisses and touches became more frenzied as their excitement grew at an unbelievable speed. Kathryn moved herself against Tom's thigh and reached for the zipper of his jacket..

She pushed his jacket off is shoulders and onto the floor behind them. She searched his mouth with her tongue as her hands frantically pushed his shirt up, desperate for the feel of his flesh.

"Chakotay to Captain Janeway," came over her comm badge, interrupting the pair, Kathryn groaned and Tom chose to ignore it as he continued to move his hands across her body.

"Tom stop," Kathryn said firmly and slid away from him and the table, heading towards the observation windows to put some distance between herself and Tom.

"I am going to make him pay for this," Tom said, mostly to himself.

Kathryn looked at him sharply and fought to control her breathing as she answered her first officer, "Go ahead, Commander."

"After you left the mess hall, Neelix informed me that there is an inhabited M-Class planet two days travel from our present coarse and that they should be open to trade for food and other needed supplies. Any objections to altering coarse?"

"None at all, go ahead and alter coarse, Chakotay."

"Yes, Captain. Neelix also tells me that shore leaves may be arranged on the planet."

"Wonderful, I'm sure many of the crew would relish a little down time away from the ship. Janeway out."

"Come here," Tom said huskily as he reached for her.

Kathryn side stepped his reach, "No, Tom. We can't do this."

"Yes, we can. We just were."

As long as she could keep him from touching her she was sure she could say no. "I'm not doing this. I'm the Captain of this ship and you are an officer under my command. I'm not so far gone to have forgotten that fact."

"Two minutes ago you had forgotten that fact. Give me one minute and I can make you forget it, again," he countered with a slight edge of desperation apparent in his voice.

"I am not doing this," she said again, no matter how much she really wanted to. "We need to stay away from each other." She told the computer to disengage the door lock and with one last desire filled look at Tom, she left.

"Dammit, I'm going to kill Chakotay," he said to the empty room. He took a few minutes to calm his body down. He picked his jacket up from the floor, putting it back on and then straightened his uniform before returning to his quarters.

=/\=

Kathryn paced in her quarters, unable to quiet herself enough to sit down. _'First there was my reaction to B'Elanna touching Tom and then my reaction to Tom touching me. Everything is getting out of control. I need to talk with the Doctor.' _

"Doctor to the Captain."

"Go ahead, Doctor."

"I've been informed of Voyager's coarse change and the current plans. I just needed to be sure that you are aware that you and Lieutenant Paris are not cleared for duty and that includes going to the planet's surface."

Kathryn shook her head. "Doctor, I understand that you want to make sure that everything is fine with Mister Paris and myself, but, I am the Captain of this ship, and as such I should be making the trade agreements."

I'm sure Commander Chakotay is capable of handling trade negotiations. You'll have to supervise from Voyager. Per Starfleet regulations, neither you or Paris can go to a planet's surface without all inoculations being up to date, and you have not began to receive them yet."

"Understood, Doctor," she knew a losing battle when she heard one. Then she asked about the concern that was most on her mind. "Have you discovered anything about Tom and my own heightened sense of touch and smell."

"No, I have not. There are no irregularities in your DNA sequences, that I can find. I am still hopeful that the problem may resolve it's self. Are you experiencing adverse affects?"

"I'm having problems concentrating, it's all a little overwhelming."

"Understood. I'll need to see you in sickbay in a few days and at your convenience to start administering the inoculations."

"Understood, Doctor. Janeway out."

Kathryn was disappointed that there didn't seem to be an immediate fix for her obsession of sorts with Tom. She just hoped the Doctor was right and it resolved on it's own, sooner rather than later.


	4. Chapter 4

Kathryn spent the next day-and-a-half refusing to admit to herself that she was hiding from Tom in her quarters, _'Nothing can happen if we don't run into each other.' _She wanted to go to Tom and her denial of her need was beginning to make her feel like a caged animal.

When she heard the door chime she asked the computer for the identity of the person. While she was expecting Chakotay, she worried that it might be Tom. After the scene yesterday, she had been left wanting and she was positive that Tom was feeling the same way. Could she ignore it if it was Tom? And if she could, what would her first officer say if he found her helmsmen stalking around outside her quarters? Luckily, it was Chakotay, and she didn't have to worry about it.

They spent an hour, on her sofa, going over Chakotay's dealings with the Pineran government Liaison Officer. Everything seemed to be set for an easy and successful trade operation with the planet. The planet also had a spacedock, and they preferred that Voyager dock rather then orbit their planet. There were some added bonuses to that arrangement, as they could do some ship repairs much easier when docked, rather then in space, and they would need much fewer crew on the ship, giving more people the chance for shoreleave.

"I'm going to talk to the Doctor about Lieutenant Paris and myself being cleared for the bridge while we are docked. That will give you, Harry and Tuvok more down time."

"Do you think you can talk the Doctor into that?"

"I guess we'll see."

The door chimed and Kathryn knew immediately who was on the other side. She couldn't ignore it, Chakotay would find that strange and it would raise a lot of questions. "Enter," she said and Tom Paris walked in as his eyes easily found Kathryn's.

Tom was seething, he had been walking the corridors earlier, trying to think of a valid reason to go and see Kathryn, when he had run into Chakotay.

"Commander, how's the bridge?" he had asked, trying to remain calm.

"Quiet. Nothing going on other then negotiations with the Pinerans. I'm on my way to discuss matters with Captain Janeway, now."

Tom felt his insides clench at this knowledge, but, kept his voice steady. "I've been rather bored. Let the Captain know if she needs something to do, I'm free as long as she is, we can play cards, or something."

She had made it perfectly clear he was suppose to stay away, he'd really been trying to do just that. She'd be angry. But, there was only so much he could take and that damn man had still been in her quarters more than an hour later. He had to do something, so he had gone to her quarters.

"Sorry to interrupt, Captain, I thought you would be finished by now."

"We were just finishing, actually," Chakotay said as he stood up, not noticing the predatory look that crossed the other man's face. "Time to talk to B'Elanna about the repairs she wants to do while docked."

"Thanks for the update, Chakotay." she said as he left her alone with Tom.

The minute the door closed, she whipped around and faced Tom, hands on her hips. "What the hell was that?" she said in a low menacing voice.

He knew she'd be angry with him. He had even figured on her yelling at him. Yet, he hadn't been able to make himself not go to her quarters. "That man was here too damned long," Tom said with an angry edge in his voice, instinctively moving closer to her.

Kathryn glared, "That man, as you called him, is my first officer and your superior. It would do you well to remember those facts."

Now that the threat of Chakotay was no longer present, his head began to clear. Tom let out a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry. I can't seem to help myself. I saw the Commander in the corridor and he mentioned he was on his way here to see you and I saw red. It only got worse the longer he was here. I think I'm better now."

Kathryn closed her eyes for a moment and it looked like she was praying for patience. Tom bit the inside of his lip to keep from smiling. "Tom, you can't go off the deep end every time I talk to Chakotay," She told him as she rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

"I agree, this is completely crazy, there's no reason for it," he said, exasperation clearly present in his voice. "It's not as if my intention is to act all territorial about you. You're my captain, not my girlfriend. There's just something about him; I don't like it when you're together."

Kathryn gave him a sharp look. Tom raised his hands in front of him, in mock surrender. "I can't explain it better than that. It's only the Commander, though. I mean, I've seen you with The Doctor, Tuvok, Harry and Neelix; none of them bring up this irrational jealously in me."

"Tom," she sighed, staying focused on the discussion was hard, she really just wanted to grab him and kiss him. She needed him. "Whatever your feelings are about Chakotay, you can't do this every time I'm with him. I can't send him to scrub the jefferies tubes for the rest of the journey. He's my first officer and my friend, we spend a lot of time alone together.

"Hopefully, these _side effects _won't last much longer," she said. "Until then, you need to find away to control your reactions towards him."

"Considering my usually impulsive nature, I thought I did rather well. I was able to leave the messhall yesterday, alone. When what I really wanted to do was go over there and let Chakotay know that you were off limits and then drag you out of there. Today, I didn't try to knock him out when I heard he was coming here," Tom gave a small smile. "Now, what about you? I saw the way you looked at B'Elanna yesterday. It's not just me who feels this way."

He moved towards her and she backed up. It really wasn't her style to back down, but, she was aware of her lack of better judgment when he touched her. Not to mention that the episode yesterday had left her unfulfilled and wanting. He smiled and moved his hand out to touch her.

"No, you're not the only one," she agreed. "At least I'm making an attempt to keep us in control," she finished as she tried to step away from his touch, to reinforce her words with some distance. She needed a buffer zone against his enormous appeal.

He dropped his hand away from her and gave a dramatic sigh, "All business, aren't you?"

She nodded an affirmative, though she knew it was a lie. Her body was hyper-aware of Tom, of how close he was, of how with one step forward she could throw her arms around his neck and kiss him.

_'Then why don't you?'_ she blinked at the thought, her gaze locking on his mouth. _'Damn, he has a beautiful mouth.'_ She knew the feeling of that mouth, of the delicious pressure, of how her body heated and flared just at the thought.

"Cap-, Kathryn, if you keep looking at me like that ..." passion flared in his eyes and she shivered.

Kathryn stopped thinking and let her body take control. She stepped forward, looped her hand round Tom's neck, lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. Tom gasped in surprise, he hadn't expected her to initiate the kiss.

=/\=

Surprised by her sudden change in mood, Tom gave a growl and drew her to him as he returned the kiss, hot and passionate. Kathryn was withering against him as she opened her mouth beneath his, her tongue delving, pleasuring, teasing.

It was one hell of a kiss, sensual and deliriously passionate, and Tom couldn't get enough, wanting more even as she gave him more.

Kathryn pulled him towards the sofa, gasping as she broke the kiss. She pushed him to the cushions and with a low moan she straddled him, pulling his shirt off with eager hands.

She pulled her own shirt off and tossed it aside, then reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, stripping it off with amazing speed.

Tom couldn't believe his eyes. Sitting astride his lap, topless and smiling softly, her full breasts within him lips grasp, was the woman of all of his current fantasies, his captain. He slid his hands around her waist and captured a perk nipple with his mouth.

She moaned and arched against him, her hands threading through his hair instantly as she pressed forward, offering herself.

Tom slid his hands down her back, lifted her hips and pulled her more firmly onto him. She could feel his growing hardness, the sensation of being pressed onto him sending her need sky rocketing. He moved his hands back up her back, he found the clip that held her hair back and released the clasp. With her hair now free, he twined his fingers through it and pulled her to him. He moved his mouth from her breast and up her neck until he reached her lips, invading her mouth with wet possession.

She broke the kiss with back arched , her lower body pressed into him, writhing on his lap. He looked at her straddling him and was amazed by the woman he saw before him.

She rose up and off of him, putting her feet on the ground. He groaned at the loss of contact, but, was instantly mesmerized as she undid the button of her pants and in a swift motion removed both the pants and her panties, kicking them both aside. She leaned over him, her breasts pressed against his leg as she undid his pants. She tugged on his waistband and he lift his hips as she pulled his pants and briefs down and over his hips. He was at a disadvantage, he had his boots on and she didn't bother removing them, she pulled his pants to his ankles and left them there, as she quickly straddled him again.

She brought her head down and kissed him again, long and deep, her hair falling around them, brushing his cheek. Tom moved from her lips, to her chin, down her jaw and to her neck, mapping his way with his lips and his tongue. He pulled her up to rest more firmly against his erection, again, but, this time it was flesh to flesh and so much more delicious. He tipped his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth as one hand grabbed her hip and the other kneaded her other breast.

"Oh, yes," he heard her moan with pleasure, and he smiled against her skin.

Kathryn placed her hands on his shoulders, locked her elbows and arched her back as she lifted her hips above his hardness. Her breast pulled itself from his mouth as he took the hand from her breast and with one hand on her hip and the other on his own erection he guided her down onto of him.

Her hands pressed his shoulders firmly into the sofa cushion, her inner muscles clenching and releasing around him. The heat between them was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He was completely lost in the feelings flowing between them.

He watched her as she let her head drop, her hair covering her face. He heard her let out a ragged breath as she settled herself firmly on top of him. She didn't move for agonizing seconds, then suddenly she arched her back, throwing her head back, exposing her long neck, and rotated her hips in the most tantalizing movement.

The fingers at her hip dug into her flesh as he used his other hand to stroke up her arm and to her neck. She continued to move above him, driving them both mad. Tom's fingers pressed into her collar bone, his breathing becoming more labored with her every move.

She was utterly magnificent above him, his eyes taking in the way her body moved. "You are amazing," he said in a rough voice as he moved his hand from her neck to her clitoris, making lazy circles with his fingers as he raised his hips up into her to give her more pleasure.

He watched her body flush, as her rocking became more frantic, her breathing more erratic. He was close and so was she. He felt her body clench around him as she let out a long low moan and collapsed on top of him, she continued to undulate her hips as he took her hips in his hands and held her firmly to him as he drove his hips up and into her. His eyes slipped closed as he let out a growl and exploded.

"Oh, um, … ohmygod," he heard slip from her lips as she buried her face in his neck, biting gently on his sensitive skin and came, again.

They stayed like that for a while, with Kathryn pressed against his body, her fingers entwined in his hair. He slid his hands up and down her back in long lazy movements, a feeling of total contentment settling over him.

"This is beyond wrong," she said softly and unconvincingly into his neck. Awash in feelings of contentment, not wanting to break the contact with him, she made herself more comfortable atop him.

Tom smiled slightly, he'd expected she would get up and order him to leave. The continued contact, flesh to flesh, had been a pleasant surprise and he intended to hold on to her for as long as she'd let him. "Maybe. But it feels amazing."

She raised her head, looking him in the eyes with a look of exasperation on her face. "Tom, amazing or not, I shouldn't be sleeping with a subordinate. It's not as if I can transfer you off the ship. While Starfleet wouldn't object to the relationship, they would have a hell of a lot to say about you staying under my command"

"You thought it was amazing?" he'd latched on to the first part of her tirade and let the rest fall to the wayside. _'The Captain thought it was amazing,'___he thought and gave himself a silent round of applause.

"That was hardly my point," she smiled, unable to stop herself from placing her lips lightly against his jaw, thinking how easy and comfortable it was to just sit here, with her body wrapped around his.

"I know; it was something about how we shouldn't be doing this and you'd be in so much trouble if we were anywhere near Starfleet," he pulled her to his lips for a quick kiss, before continuing. "You could always blame it on the evolution, or whatever the hell that was. You're not in complete control of your body, you are not to be blamed for this. You're persuasive, you'd be able to make Command see that you are not at fault. It's a medical condition."

"I don't know that Command would agree that a Captain wanting to jump her helmsman at every turn is a medical condition. To add fuel to flame, I didn't come clean to the Doctor, my description of my symptoms was vague, at best. I know that I should have gone directly to sickbay and spoken to the Doctor about all of this as soon as I left the cargo bay."

"Jump me? At every turn? Really? Yeah, the cargo bay," Tom smiled dreamily, "The cargo bay was phenomenal and a bit crazy. Who knew the Captain was such a sex fiend."

"A bit?" Kathryn questioned.

"Okay, a lot. But amazing. You are amazing," he punctuated his words by squeezing her ass.

"Tom, stop thinking only about the sex."

"How can I? When you keep bringing it up. Let's not forget the fact that we're both naked, you're sitting in my lap and I'm still inside you. You should count yourself lucky I can even have a conversation at all," he stated, as his hands moved over her soft flesh.

"Tom," she started in reproach, but changed her mind. Instead, she said, in a slightly disappointed voice, "I have to get up."

"Okay," he said as he moved his hands up into her hair. Pulling her mouth to his. She opened to him immediately, his lips wildly claiming hers. Kathryn moaned into his mouth as she raked her hands through his hair, keeping her lips locked with his.

As they parted, Tom gave her a languid grin,. "Are you sure you need to get up? We could just stay here like this?"

"Don't think for one minute I'm going to be taken in by your sexy smile."

"Are you sure, Kathryn?" he drew out the syllables of her name, making it come out in a sexy purr and she shivered at the sound. "I've been told that I'm charming and irresistible."

"You are both of those, among other things. I'm just not going to fall for it," she said as she pulled herself off of him and the couch.

It took a moment for Kathryn to gain use of her legs as the blood rushed back into them. For one glorious moment she stood before him naked. He sat up fully, before she had time to move, grabbed her by her waist, pulling her towards him and placed a light kiss on her stomach, just below her breasts.

"You are amazing and beautiful. Don't forget that when this all ends and I go back to being just Lieutenant Paris, the guy who flies your ship" he told her with seriousness, "As for the rest of your worries. Don't sweat them. There are definitely extenuating circumstances here. Besides, we're nowhere near the Federation, and while I believe command is full of old sticks in the mud, I can't believe they would expect you to spend the next 70 years alone. Even they're not that heartless."

"I'll remember, Tom," she said quietly as she placed a light kiss on his lips and turned to go to her bedroom.

He'd had every intention of quickly getting dressed and calling out a goodbye to her while she was still in the other room. He wasn't quite sure how to end an evening of sex with the one person you shouldn't be doing it with. He figured, at the very least, if he left it would save her the trouble of telling him he had to leave.

He watched her as she walked away from him, she didn't try to cover herself, appearing completely sure of herself and unashamed. _'Damn, that's sexy,'_ he thought, _'She walks like she's in command even when she's naked.'_ He found the slight sway to her hips inviting and his desire for her flared, the musky scent of her filling his nostrils. Something inside him flickered back to life, his body hardened and a fierce urge welled through him. He quickly stripped his boots and pants from his body and got up to follow her. All thoughts of leaving forgotten on the floor with his pants.


	5. Chapter 5

He was quiet as he entered her bedroom and she was distracted by what his final words had been. _'Amazing and beautiful. He can be sweet when he wants to be.'_ Not to mention the knowledge that he had watched her leave had made her hot and flushed, all over again.

Kathryn senses flared, alerting her to Tom's presence in the room a moment before she felt him snake his arms around her midsection. He buried his face into her neck, inhaling deeply and nipping along her shoulder with teeth and lips. He pulled her back against him, her ass tucked against his thighs, her back to his chest. She gasped with pleasure at his touch.

Tom rubbed his hands up and down her arms, his cheek pressed to her silky hair as she shivered and pressed back.

"Tom..." escaped her lips in a sultry moan, though she'd intended it as a word of warning.

"I was going to leave," he whispered to her, his hands exploring every bit of her body that they could reach. "But, then I got distracted by your deliciously naked body," he finished as he placed his lips to her neck, again, and licked the soft place behind her ear.

She felt her body heat from head to toes, her desire reigniting quickly.

Kathryn's mind wanted to protest, this was so very wrong, it searched for words that would end this before it went too far, again. "I don't think we **need** to do this again."

Her body wanted something entirely different and protested fiercely against her words. Her body demanded that it get what it wanted, right now. She turned her head and pressed her lip's to Tom's. He turned her in his arms, tilted her face towards his and kissed her with all of the hunger she herself was feeling.

As he broke the kiss, he whispered, "You're probably right, we don't need to do this, again, right now. But, I really, really want to. Right now. With you."

Kathryn grabbed him by the waist, pulling him to her, and she ground her body against his. He felt so good against her skin, hard and warm and masculine. She couldn't remember why she thought this was a bad idea. This was a wonderful idea her body sang.

She moaned and lifted her arms to his neck, pulling him closer. She rubbed her hips against his, causing him to grit his teeth in delicious torment.

He ran his hands up her flat stomach to cup her breasts and she arched against him as he brushed his thumbs over the nipples. She filled his arms so well, and the scent of him drove every thought from her head.

He ran his thumbs over her nipples, again, and flicked them gently. She gasped, withering in place, feeling electrified. "Tom," she breathed, pressing her breasts into his hands.

Kathryn felt Tom guiding her backwards, their lips never parting, hands exploring, and she followed him readily. They reached their destination and tumbled across her bed together, her thighs instinctively finding purchase at his waist.

He stroked her lush skin, lingering on the smooth curve of her breast, the flat plane of her stomach, the soft line of her thighs. She sighed and pressed against him, as eager for him as he was for her.

She was so sensual, she came alive with every touch, clung to him and opened for him without realizing she did so. It was almost more than he could stand.

He lifted himself over her and rubbed his body against hers, teasing her.

A low moan escaped her throat and she pressed against him. He could feel her need, taste her excitement as he captured her lips again. She wrapped her arms round his neck and urged him on with her tongue and her hips.

It was so tempting to just delve right in, to thrust home and sink into her heated softness, their other couplings had been hot and fast and he'd had little time to savor the woman. Tom wasn't about to let this moment, when he still had at least a shred of his control left, pass by without making it mean something.

He gently untangled her arms from his neck, nibbling her ear and making her gasp. Then, he slipped down to her round breasts, capturing her nipple and gently sucking it. She gasped, again, and grasped his shoulders.

_'Oh, yes,' _he'd make her beg for it. The passion they'd shared earlier was a taste of the pleasure that was to come. He'd see to that.

He trailed a line of kisses from one breast to the other, laving both nipples to pebbled peaks. She writhed beneath him, her hands grasping fists full of her Starfleet regulation sheet.

His own body was on fire, his erection throbbing with the desire to take her. It took all of his resolve, but he slipped even further down, pressing light, eager kisses down her stomach to her navel. He dipped his tongue into her navel and then slipped down to the juncture of her thighs. Tom took his time mapping her body, intent on remembering all of it.

Her musky scent made him ache all the more. He rubbed his chin over her tight curls, the dampness making his mouth water. She was so hot, her hips quivering, bucking at the lightest touch. Her eyes where closed, her legs apart, her teeth clenched as she quivered beneath him.

He bent and pressed a gentle kiss to her center. A deep shudder ripped through her, then another. He pressed his mouth to her, teasing and tormenting her with his tongue. Bringing her close, but, never quite giving her release.

Kathryn clutched the sheets tighter, fighting for control. She had to fight the urge to thrash her hips, to lift up and meet his eager tongue, to grab his head with her hands and force him to give her the release she desired while begging for more.

Suddenly she was awash in greed, "Tom, please," she whispered.

He stopped.

Her body tightened in frustration and desire, she could feel his breath across her folds, "Please." She lifted her hips, her hands tight on the sheets.

He didn't move.

Kathryn arched her body towards him, searching for him. "Please, Tom. Please!"

He slid forward, dragging his warm body across hers. Her skin was so sensitive with need that the feel of him sliding up her body made her gasp with deep desire. She lifted her legs and locked them about his hips, dragging his mouth to hers as she kissed him desperately.

He held himself above her, she firmly grasped his hips and pressed him to her body. He filled her so well, flooding her body with instant pleasure, the feelings coursing through her more intense then anything she had ever felt before. She moved her hands to his shoulders, pulling him closer to her as she rocked in rhythm to his thrusts, noting with pleasure how his face was taunt with desire, his body rigid with the same fever that heated her.

They moved together, intensifying the pressure of his erection inside her. She ground against him. He couldn't hold back any more. With a groan, he thrust deeply into her, her warm wetness pulling him closer and closer to the edge of control. But, this moment wasn't just for him; it was for Kathryn, and he was going to make sure she felt every second of it. He wanted her to know that she had been well loved, when this was all over.

He captured her lips with his as he thrust into her, building his speed to match the tempo of her hips. She locked her legs even tighter around him and urged him on. Within moments a loud cry emerged from her throat and Kathryn arched against him as her nails dug into his shoulders. That was all it took for Tom to release his control. Moments later, he collapsed onto his forearms and buried his face in her neck, breathing hard.

For a long moment, neither moved. Tom soaked in the enticing feel of her naked skin against his, the warmth of her arms loosely clasped around his neck, the sensuality of her breath as it brushed across his shoulder.

With a deep sigh, he rolled to one side, gathering her to him and tucking her against his shoulder, still unable to think clearly.

Kathryn snuggled against him, her body lethargic with fulfilled passion. She buried her face in Tom's shoulder, amazed at how well she fit against him. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, smiling as he stroked her arm. Laying pressed against Tom felt absolutely marvelous and she wanted to enjoy it while she could.

He pulled her closer and settled deeper into the pillows. Soon his breathing slowed and deepened, and she could tell he had fallen asleep. She snuggled into the covers and fell asleep, too.

Kathryn awoke to Tom gently calling her name. She felt his arm around her, holding her to him.

"Kathryn?"

"Yes?"

He rolled up onto his elbow, "I'm sorry, I fell asleep."

"So did I," she replied sleepily, her usual instant alertness escaping her.

He brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, "Kathryn, it's morning. I didn't plan on staying the night. I'm suppose to meet Harry for breakfast, I have to go, before he starts looking for me."

"Damn, you better hurry then," Kathryn said a little worried. "Try not getting caught leaving my quarters in yesterday's clothes."

"I'm the epitome of stealth," he pulled her close and kissed her gently, "Besides, it's a uniform. Yesterday's clothes look the same as today's clothes." He joked, kissing her again before leaving her bed and then her quarters.

=/\=

"Hey, Harry, sorry I'm late," Tom said as he slipped into the chair across from his best friend.

"Hey," Harry replied quietly, as he looked Tom over.

Tom noticed that Harry looked ill at ease and he could guess why. _'Might as well jump right in,'_ he thought. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Harry answered. "Just waiting for you."

"And you went looking for me." Tom provided.

"I went by your quarters, you weren't there," he answered, not providing anything more.

"You ask the computer where I was?" Sometimes the fact that Harry was easily embarrassed and flustered was fun. Today was not one of those times. Tom just wished Harry would come out and tell him what he knew, instead of making him drag it out of him, question by question.

"Yeah," he answered as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Harry's answers were getting him nowhere fast. Tom put his arms on the table and leaned across it, getting closer to Harry and in a low voice said, "The computer told you I was in the Captain's quarters."

Harry nodded, but, didn't elaborate.

"Harry, really, you've got nothing to say?"

"You were there all night!" he exclaimed.

Finally, he was getting somewhere with Harry. "I fell asleep on the couch. She left me there to sleep."

"Really? You expect me to believe that?" Harry asked.

"I expect you to forget what you know. Keep it between us. She deserves her privacy."

"She's the Captain! You couldn't have chosen someone else?"

Tom smiled, "Why settle?"

Harry just shook his head in disbelief. "Harry, the Captain and I are having some weird side effects since we got back on Voyager. The Doctor thinks they'll resolve themselves, but, I'm beginning to wonder."

That piqued Harry's interest, "Like what?"

Tom didn't know what he should tell Harry, but, at the same time he wanted to tell his friend everything. "Like, I can smell her. Right now. When we touch, I feel like an electrical current is going through me. Some of it I can't even really explain, like how much my body craves hers, I... we can't even control it sometimes."

"Tom, she's the Captain!"

"I know that, dammit. I tried, really I did. But, then things happened before my brain had a chance to step up to the plate and talk sense into me. The other day when you, B'Elanna and I were in here."

"When you left looking very angry."

"That was because of her. Chakotay was sitting too close to her."

"You've got to be kidding me," Harry exclaimed, unable to grasp all that Tom was telling him.

"I wanted to go over there and punch him. I was so angry. She's mine. Mine, Harry, not his." Tom said, anger pouring out of him just thinking about it. "See what I mean, it's insane, I'm jealous because she has lunch with her first officer. She's not even my girlfriend."

"B'Elanna noticed," Harry informed Tom. "She wondered if you two had a disagreement, she said you were looking at Chakotay strangely."

Tom continued, "And the Captain felt the same way about B'Elanna when she sat down with us, I saw it on her face. She looked like she wanted to battle the Klingon to the death. One thing I'm sure of is that Kathryn Janeway is not normally the jealous type."

"Then last night... last night all started because I ran into Chakotay in the corridor and he mentioned he was going to see the Captain. I spent the next hour continually asking the computer where he was. I couldn't take it anymore, I went to her quarters to break it up. Insane right?"

"I'll say. He doesn't know, does he?"

"No. No one knows except for you," Tom confessed. "Let's try to keep it that way."

"Chakotay is going to kill you when he finds out." Harry said, letting his friendship with Tom overcome his discomfort about his knowledge of Tom's relationship with Captain Janeway.

"Don't I know it," Tom laughed.

"What does the doctor say?"

"Well, that's just it. He doesn't know everything. Kathryn just told him we had heightened senses. We haven't told him about everything else."

"Why not?" he asked and then it registered that he had called her by her first name. "Wait a minute, you just called her Kathryn, not Captain Janeway." Harry pointed out, his voice laced with concern.

"Maybe, she's Kathryn to me," he said softly. "I don't know, Harry, this is all so strange, I don't know what's going on anymore," Tom sighed. "She doesn't need this info in some formal report. Plus, we were hoping the Doctor would be right and it would just go away on it's own."

Harry watched all the emotions play across Tom's face and realized that he seemed to really have feelings for the Captain. _'This could get complicated,'_ the young ensign thought to himself.

"Can we please just keep this between us?" Tom pleaded.


	6. Chapter 6

Kathryn lowered herself gingerly into the hot bubble bath, the scent of cherry blossoms filled the air. She was feeling a little agitated by the fact that she had woken up this morning to Tom still in her bed. Not something that should happen when discretion was key. She needed to think and a bubble bath had always helped her in the past. She submerged her body and let her mind wander.

She had to admit she'd liked it. Waking up next to someone was a luxury she didn't have in the Delta Quadrant. It was also a luxury she and Mark hadn't had many times leading up to the launch of Voyager. Their schedules had kept them mostly apart for the six months leading up to Voyager's mission in the Badlands. They had spent the weekend together, the week before she'd left for Deep Space 9, but, they hadn't found much time besides that.

Voyager had been gone more than a year-and-a-half now, Starfleet would have declared them missing in action a year ago and declared all hands lost six months ago. No one was looking for them any more, everyone would think they were dead. They'd have had no sign of them, no wreckage, no real way of knowing anything. How could they think anything else?

Mark would have mourned her, but, she knew that he would have moved forward with his life by now. Their relationship had been simple, easy, and uncomplicated. All the things that Kathryn needed when she was away from her ship. She'd adored him. He was her best friend. They'd loved each other, but, it had never been all consuming. They'd missed each other when she was in space, but, never enough for him to ask her to stay or for her to ask him to come with. No reason for him to pine away for months or years, when all hope seemed to be lost.

She moved on to thoughts of Tom and what had been occurring between them. She thought about the cargo bay. She really had not been in control of herself during that encounter. Her reaction to B'Elanna in the messhall had been visceral, she'd wanted blood, but, she'd been able to keep her head about her.

Then there had been the meeting in the corridor. Her immediate reaction to seeing him had been to claim him as hers. But, she'd quickly got that under control and had tried to maintain control. The feel of Tom's hand on her body had made it hard to think of anything other then his scent and the feel of him. She could have fought it, if she'd tried, could have walked away. But, she'd really wanted to stay. She'd reclaimed control of herself after Chakotay had interrupted. But, had spent the next day in a state of arousal, fantasizing about Tom. It had been very hard not to call him to her quarters.

Last night he'd shown up at her door. Jealousy over Chakotay forcing him into action. She'd been angry and delighted at the same time. Her body responded to his presence immediately. Yet, she'd tried to stop it from happening. In the end she'd lost the fight.

This morning she'd woken up to Tom whispering her name and his arm wrapped around her. For a glorious moment everything had felt right. She'd liked waking up next to Tom, and that hadn't had anything to do with uncontrollable need. The contentment she had felt in his arms was pure Kathryn Janeway; and that worried her.

=/\=

Kathryn headed to sickbay later that afternoon to discuss going back to work.

"I know we're not cleared for duty, Doctor. But, I would like you to consider clearing Tom and myself for limited duty. I would like us to work bridge shifts while we are docked. The bridge team could use a longer break and this would help give them that."

"As long as you and Lieutenant Paris have started your inoculations, I don't see why the rules can't be bent a little to accommodate shoreleaves. But, you are not cleared for anything else. You can have the bridge while in spacedock, only. Nothing else."

"Understood, Doctor."

"You're already here, might as well get them started now."

Tom, Harry and B'Elanna were sitting together in the messhall discussing the parameters of a holoprogram B'Elanna wanted the two of them to design.

"Janeway to Paris."

"Paris here," he answered, looking over to Harry, who suddenly looked a little uncomfortable.

"Tom, you need to go to sickbay, at your convenience, the Doctor needs to start your inoculations. We have bridge duty, tomorrow."

"Yes, Captain. I'll go right now."

"Janeway out."

"Well, with that, I'm out of here," B'Elanna said.

As B'Elanna left, Tom turned to Harry, "You looked green when the Captain called for me."

"Yeah, well, knowing what I know..." Harry started, "It's just going to take some getting used to."

"Harry, I'm positive you've noticed that the Captain is a woman, before now."

"Yeah, well..." Harry started, a little uncomfortable with where the conversation seemed to be heading. "Noticing that the Captain's attractive is a far cry from what you've been doing with her."

Tom snorted at Harry's comment, "You're going to be okay with this."

"You said both of you were a little out of control, how do you know she wouldn't just ask you to come to her quarters over the comm link?"

"She's still the Captain," Tom said pointedly as he pushed his chair out to get up. "and the Captain says I need to go to sickbay. I've got bridge duty tomorrow."

=/\=

That evening Voyager docked at the planet and Chakotay, along with a small away team, went to the planet's surface. Kathryn really wanted to be the one down there heading the negotiations, but, she knew Chakotay could handle it. She trusted him to do the job.

Hours later, Chakotay entered her quarters with a smile on his face. "Everything went smoothly. We'll transport food and engineering supplies on in the morning. The planet is beautiful, perfect for shoreleave, sorry you won't be able to share it with us."

"That's okay, there's always next time. You enjoy yourself down there."

"I'll try," he smiled.

"Have you eaten?" Kathryn asked.

"No, not yet."

"Care to join me?" she asked as she moved towards the replicator.

"I would love to," he replied as he sat in his usual chair at her table.

Having dinner with Chakotay in her quarters was normal, something that they did regularly. She wanted her life to have some semblance of Delta Quadrant normalcy. She enjoyed Chakotay's company, he was a good dinner companion. Now she just worried Tom would look into what she was doing and show up at her quarters.

The evening continued without interruption.


	7. Chapter 7

Lieutenant Paris arrived on the bridge minutes after Captain Janeway. _'Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Paris. Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Paris. Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Paris.'_ was the running theme playing inside his head. _'It's important that you remember this. Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Paris.' _

After he took his seat and received his update on the helm, Kathryn dismissed the rest of the crew from their duty stations and wished them all a good shore leave.

"Ready for a long day on the bridge."

"Yes, Captain. I brought a couple of PADDs with some ideas I've been working on and a deck of cards." Then a broad smile, bordering on a leer, spread across his face, "Now if you can just keep your hands to yourself, everything will be just fine."

"Tom," she started in her Captain voice, "I'm sure any problems that occur this shift will be caused by you." She was slightly amazed by how easy it was for the two of them to slip into their usual light banter. Despite everything that had happened to them over the last several days, she felt at ease with him. Kathryn had expected there to be some discomfort and embarrassment between them, but, there was none.

"Not today. Today, I will be the model of a fleet brat," he said in mock seriousness, as he turned back to the helm to run through his helm pre-shift checklist.

"Do you even know how a proper fleet brat would act."

"Of course, I watched you for years being just that. You were very good at it. I took notes."

"Well, then, if you learned it from me, we shouldn't be having any problems," she laughed. "There isn't much need for your flyboy skills today. When you're done down there, why not come up here and sit in the Commander's chair."

"Ohhh, playing first officer to your captain sounds like fun. Do I get to make goo goo eyes at you like Commander Chakotay?"

"What?" she said, surprised by his comment. "Chakotay does not make **goo goo** eyes at me."

Deciding he didn't want her considering Chakotay in that way, he said, "Maybe, you're right."

Tom and Kathryn quickly worked through all of the necessary system checks and then settled in for a long and hopefully uneventful duty shift.

For the next couple of hours the pair worked in companionable silence, with the occasional random comment. Kathryn replicated sandwiches and drinks in her ready room and brought them out to the bridge for lunch. The two talked about the goings on of the ship. Tom updated her on all the current gossip. As the Captain she only heard about the things Chakotay told her or that Tuvok thought might become a problem. It had been nice to hear what the crew had been up to and to see that they were, in fact, living their lives, not just doing their jobs.

Finally, Tom got around to asking for clarification on the gossip and the speculation the crew had about her.

"Tom, don't believe any of it. I'm the captain of a small ship, years away from anyone else to wonder about, it's natural that once in awhile the crew will speculate about me."

"Well, it's more than once in awhile, you are the hottest topic of conversation these days. As I hear it, right now, you and Chakotay are in a huge fight. That's why I'm on the bridge with you instead of him."

"What?" she said incredulously.

"Yep. It's been said, by several people, that your first officer is very angry that you had lizard babies with me," Tom said with a know-it-all look on his face. "Apparently, he only wants you to be the mother of his lizard babies. And you're not putting up with his attitude."

"You're making this one up."

"On the contrary. And, might I add, Harry tells me that I'm afraid for my life, it's not safe for me to walk the corridors alone. The Commander is laying in wait, so he can beat me up for touching his girlfriend."

Kathryn snorted and shook her head, "Maybe, everyone already has too much time on their hands and shore leave should be canceled. That is a ridiculous story."

"I agree, Captain. Except for Chakotay wanting to beat me up. That's true. I think he's jealous."

"Why would he be jealous?"

"Even if you were a lizard, I'm sure you were a smokin' hot lizard, and I landed you first," Tom laughed. "I bet Chakotay figured if you were going to sleep with someone on this ship it would be him."

"Now you make it sound like a contest, let's all play, 'Who Can Get in the Captain's Pants First.'

"I wonder if Harry'd play that game with me?"

Kathryn pointedly ignored his comment and continued. "What I did as a lizard would hardly count as me deciding on anything. Besides, Chakotay is not interested in me."

"Really? You don't think so? Because I think he is?"

"By your accounts I'm a smokin' hot lizard and my first officer wants to bag me."

"Yep. Who knew the Captain was such a potty mouth. Did you just say 'bag me'? Just for clarification's sake, you should know that you're a smokin' hot Captain, as well. I could give you a list of crew members who'd like to see you take off those pips."

"I don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to things like that," Kathryn said. "We need to stop having this conversation, or you'll have me wondering all sorts of crazy things."

"Whatever you want," Tom said as he looked at the PADD in his hands and then drawled, "Caaaptain," low and sexy, making a slight shiver run through Kathryn's body.

Tom continued to pretend to be studying his PADD for the next few minutes, then suddenly blurted out, "Harry thinks you're sexy."

"Dammit, Tom, I said stop," she said in her command voice as she slammed her hands down on the arms of her chair.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Now Harry never actually told me he dreams about you naked," Tom smiled as she gave him The Look. "I just threw that out there as a joke."

Then he continued, "Though, there's been a couple of times when we've been walking behind you, and I swear he was looking at your ass."

"Enough," Kathryn begged. "Now, every time Harry's behind me, I'm going to wonder."

Tom's smile spread across his face as he laughed. He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "I know."

"You're evil. On that note, I think it's time for more reports."

A couple more hours passed before Kathryn lay the last PADD down. "I can't believe I'm caught up. I've been behind on all the non-essential reports for six months. But, that was the last one. At least, until tomorrow's reports show up on my desk."

"You've managed to keep busy for well over half our shift. Want to play cards for a while?"

"You look busy. I'll find something to do."

"I can do this anytime," he waved the PADD in the air. "I'm just working on a new holoprogam for B'Elanna."

"For B'Elanna," Tom heard something close to jealousy in her tone of voice and saw her eyes narrow.

"Hey, retract the claws, Catwoman," Tom said lightly. "She's looking for something more challenging for her hand to hand workouts. I'm not programming a Klingon romance scene."

"I don't know what just happened there."

"The same thing that happens to me when you mention Chakotay - insanity."

"Let's forget this and just play cards," she said in dismissal of her jealous reaction. Then asked, "Catwoman, Tom?"

"Twentieth century comic book character."

As their shift drew nearer to the end, Kathryn thought back on how easy being with Tom was. Tom didn't have the issues most crewman did with being casual with the Captain. Even before the transwarp flight, Tom had been someone she could let the Captain's mask slip in front of. Now the mask and the uniform had slipped off and she could just be Kathryn with him and she found that she really enjoyed it. She had desperately missed herself.

She had to admit that she had needed to be treated like a person and not a Captain, much more than she had needed shore leave. Tom had given her exactly what she'd been craving most.

"Thank you, Tom," she said impulsively.

"For what? Not ravishing you on your bridge?" he teased. "I thought about it. And there's still time."

"Thanks for that, too. But, I was thinking how nice it is to be Kathryn, every now and again. It doesn't happen often, out here in the Delta Quadrant. Even before all of this happened, you managed to let her out."

"All this time, I thought I was being insubordinate and you put up with it because you thought I was cute. Who knew you actually liked it.""

"Maybe that's it," she smiled. "Tom, when this mess is fixed, I hope we can still be friends. Like we are right now."

"I hope so, I enjoy talking dirty to the Captain." he laughed. "Now, that we've decided to stay friends, how about we get back to how I didn't ravish you on the bridge. I think I should be rewarded."

"I'm sure you do," she was silent for a moment. "I have to admit, I was worried that we wouldn't be able to do this. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"I'll admit, it was nice just spending time with you. But, now, I'm thinking how the desk in you ready room would be an excellent surface to take you on."

Kathryn flushed, her heart speeding up, all it had taken for her need to return to the forefront was Tom voicing his desire for her. "Every time you think something like that, you don't need to tell me."

"I don't. I've been thinking things like that all day," he pointed out. "My plan is, when Tuvok gets here you hand the bridge over to him and go to your ready room. Then when Vorik gets here, I'll sneak in through the other door."

"We're not having sex in my ready room."

"I bet you use to say that about cargo bays; and just look what happened there," he quipped as he waggled his eyebrow at her.

"If you ever discover me in my ready room on the brink of insanity, you can have sex with me in there then."

The turbolift doors opened and Tuvok entered the bridge. "Good to see you, Tuvok," Kathryn greeted.

"Good day, Captain."

The briefing on the day's bridge activities was uncharacteristically short and soon Tom heard the Captain handing the bridge over to Tuvok and taking her leave. Before she had a chance to enter the turbolift, Tom asked, "Captain, would you like to meet me in the holodeck to play some pool?"

"I'll see you there in a hour, you and I both need to see the Doctor and I'm going to get something to eat."

"Perfect, I'll see you then, Captain."

A few minutes later Vorik entered the bridge to relieve Tom.

=/\=

Kathryn entered the holodeck a little more then a hour later, she'd ate, changed out of her uniform and gone to the EMH for another round of inoculations. She'd expected to find Sandrine's running, but, she was pleasantly surprised to find a room decorated with dark mahogany paneling and a rich green wallpaper. Floor to ceiling windows lined one wall, with heavy red velvet draperies, and the view was of an expansive garden. There were several paintings of very serious looking men on the walls, chairs and side tables were placed casually around the perimeter of the room, inviting intimate conversations. She saw that there was a bar in one corner with an ornately carved crystal decanter and glasses set atop it. The highlight of the richly decorated room with the intricately carved pool table in the middle.

Kathryn went to the table and ran her hand appreciatively over the well polished wood and then the smooth felt. This was an expertly crafted and well cared for table, unlike the one in Sandrine's.

Tom had been sitting in a highback chair, near the door, and smiled as he watched Kathryn take in the opulence of the room. He took in the way her casual clothing revealed her figure much better then her uniform did and the way her hair cascaded down her back in soft waves when she wore it down. He stood up and brought a drink to her. Kathryn smiled and took the glass with a murmured thanks and took a sip. "mmm," she said in delight, "brandy, a very good brandy. Where are we?"

"Private residence of the Duke of Sussex."

"Nice table," she said appreciatively.

"Very nice. Do you want to shoot a couple of balls to get a feel for the table?"

"No, I don't believe I'll need any practice to wipe the floor with you," she smiled and took another drink.

"Such a competitive streak you have. I should warn you, I'm feeling lucky tonight, Captain. I think I can take you."

"Not even on my worst day, would you come out the winner," she shot back at him.

"I wasn't taking about pool, ma'am," Tom drawled with a wink, then added, "I brought the brandy with me, so be careful. I also brought two detox hypos, just in case you get out of hand."

She walked up to Tom, invading his space, gave his a sly smile and handed him her empty glass, "Then get me another drink and I'll rack the balls. Let's play."

Tom took her glass and went to fill it as Kathryn readied the table for a serious game of pool.

Kathryn found relief mingled with irritation to make her decidedly uncomfortable. For some insane reason, she felt disappointed he paid more attention to the game then to her. '_What am I thinking?'_ She ought to be relieved the man had decided to behave himself for a change, maybe things were getting back to normal. She shouldn't be brooding because he'd been with her for a good hour and hadn't ravished her yet. Clearly, she had been driven over the edge. She could no longer claim to be sane. She needed to get her mind back on the game and off the man who was bent over the table, lining up his shot.

_'Or do I?' _

Tom was about to win this game, Kathryn knew it and decided to play dirty. She quickly unbuttoned two more buttons on her blouse, exposing the swell of her breasts, then she spread her arms, palms down on the table, placing her body directly in Tom's line of sight. Leaning forward a bit, she stood there watching Tom.

"Stop looking at me like that," he murmured as his eyes wandered over her, watching as her breasts rose and fell with every breath, he took his shot and missed.

Tom looked up from the table and stared back at her for a long moment. He moved around the corner of the table, invading her space until he had her pressed against the table. "You knew I was going to win and you had to distract me to keep from losing," he said as he moved closer, nuzzling the hollow beneath her ear and he smiled against her skin.

"I was using all the tools at my disposal to win the game."

"It was a beautiful view," he assured her before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. Kissed her like she'd been wanting to be kissed all day.

He quickly undid the remaining buttons on her shirt, letting it fall open. "I was trying so hard to be good, this one is your fault," he pushed the fabric of her bra down and out of the way and ran his hands over her nipples, feeling them harden instantly.

He bent and took one of her nipples in his mouth, laving it with his tongue. Her hand threaded through his hair as she held him there. "Oh...yes. I'm willing to take the blame for this one," he heard her utter as she sighed.

He slid the shirt from her shoulders and unhooked her bra. She pulled him to her for another deep kiss as her dropped the garment to the floor. He reached for her waistband, but, she shook her head, her gaze smoky and sensual. "Now I think I should take off your shirt."

Tom wanted to tear the shirt from his body, all he could think of was how much he needed to feel her skin against his. He managed to stand back and allow her to remove his shirt. The second it was gone, he slipped his arms around her once more, and her bare skin rubbed against his, deliciously soft and warm. He kissed her as he undid her pants and then eased them down her legs. She toed off her shoes and impatiently kicked her pants out of the way, her panties soon followed.

Kathryn ran her hands greedily over Tom's chest as he lifted her onto the edge of the pool table. He quickly undid his pants and kicked off his shoes. In a few seconds he stood naked before her.

His muscular chest was covered in just the right amount hair, his stomach was hard and his thighs were the most tantalizing she had ever seen. The best part of him stood proud and at attention. Just looking at him made Kathryn's body hum with appreciation and anticipation.

He stepped between her legs and kissed the hollow of her neck, his hands caressing her everywhere, sending sparks across her bare skin.

His breaths were becoming harsh, matching hers. She yearned for this, like nothing before. As his erection pressed against her, she hooked her legs around Tom's back and pulled him closer.

Looking deep into her eyes, with a thrust of his hips, he slid fully into her. Gasping for breath, Kathryn tightened her legs, holding him inside of her. Tom's strong arms supported her as he began to move, stroking her deep inside, filling her completely. She tugged him even closer, moving with him as his thrusts reached a fevered pitch. He reached a hand between them, massaging her sensitive nub, carrying her closer to the edge. With a husky moan, his body exploded and Kathryn's body soon followed.

Kathryn held Tom close, her legs still tight on his hips, his warm breath on her neck, as they savored the lingering heat of their passion.

Tom's breathing slowly returned to normal.

Kathryn sighed, wriggling a little.

Noting her discomfort, Tom immediately lifted her from the pool table and set her on her feet. "I guess we can call that last game a draw," she smiled sultrily.

Tom laughed, warm and husky, the sound washing over her in pleasant waves. "I'd definitely call that last game a win for both of us."

She gave him a broad smile, and he was taken aback by the pure joy that was on her face. "I'd usually say we should play another," Tom continued. "But, it's late and we both have a long shift on the bridge tomorrow."

"Damn, you're right, we should get out of here," Kathryn drew Tom to her for a kiss before finding her clothes and getting dressed.

Once they were both dressed, Tom reached for her again, pulling her mouth to his for a deep kiss, as they pulled apart Tom told her, "You are delicious, I could never get bored of kissing you."

She smiled brightly at him, telling him good night before she called for the door.

As she walked back to her quarters, she was lost in thought. She was beginning to think that she was letting what was happening between Tom and herself become something more than just out of control hormones.


	8. Chapter 8

Tom was trying to work on the holoprogram for B'Elanna as he sat in the first officer's chair, but, he kept glancing over at Kathryn. She was sitting with a PADD in her lap, but, she wasn't looking at it. Instead, she was staring at nothing with a far away look on her face.

He continued to watch her, holoprogram forgotten, as he took in the firm line of her jaw, her high cheekbones, her porcelain skin, her soft lips. Tom noticed the instant her lips momentarily upturned into a smile. She knew he was studying her. Kathryn quickly turned her face towards him, her eyes making immediate contact with his. "I can't really be that interesting?" she said with a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, yes you can," slipped from Tom's lips in a soft whisper. "You, Kathryn Janeway, are certainly very interesting."

He continued to watch her as another smile played across her lips, he saw the far away look return to her face and wondered briefly what exactly she was thinking about, but, chose not to ask. "I remember you. From before Voyager," Tom said, startling her out of her thoughts.

Kathryn turned herself more fully towards him, resting an elbow on the arm of her command chair, "I remember you, too."

"Did you know that I had a huge crush on you?" Tom said in a surprising declaration.

"No you didn't," surprise at his statement evident in her voice.

"I did. I was twelve and I though that you were the most amazing girl I'd ever met."

She smiled somewhat shyly, "Really, Tom?"

"Really. You'd been coming to my house for awhile. At first, I really didn't like you. My father and I would have plans, he would cancel them and then you'd show up. I blamed you. My twelve year old mind thought my dad liked you better.

"But, then one night you showed up, all dressed up, you looked very pretty and more then a little disappointed. I heard my dad say 'Sorry to interrupt your family dinner,' and you replied, 'It's fine, Sir. Interrupted dinners are part of the job.' I realized all those interruptions and canceled plans were his doing and not yours."

"I remember that, now that you mention it," Kathryn said smiling. "Your father got a high priority communique and I had to leave the room. You came over to me while I was waiting for him to finish and you told me a joke."

Tom nodded, "I don't remember the joke, I'm sure it was awful. You laughed, with the biggest smile on your face." He looked at the small smile on her lips. "You really do have a beautiful smile. You smiled at me and I fell in love with you. Well, as much in love as a twelve year old boy can be."

Tom shifted in the seat, moving his upper body closer to hers. "After that, I stuck close to home if I knew you'd be coming over. I even went to Dad's office more often, because you worked there, too."

Kathryn laughed, remembering how proud Owen had been when Tom had started coming by more often, "Owen thought you were taking more of an interest in Starfleet."

"In a way I was," Tom smiled. "You were Starfleet and I was definitely interested."

Tom continued, "Eventually my father figured it out. He is rather astute, after all."

"What did he say to that?"

"He told me, and I quote, 'You have very good taste in women, but, that girl is too much spacecraft for you.' I didn't know what he meant at the time, but, I got older and I figured it out."

Kathryn's cheeks flushed a little, "I can't believe you talked to your dad about me. He never mentioned it."

"He knew I'd be mortified if you knew," Tom said, admiring the slight flush on her cheeks. "Then Dad decided to go to space again and he took you with him. At the time I was more angry at him for taking you, than I was at him for leaving. I had it really bad for you. I moped for weeks, but, then I met a pretty girl, she was fifteen and I set my sights on her. I even got her to kiss me."

"All that Paris charm wrapped in such a nice looking package. She didn't stand a chance."

Tom was curious about what she remembered, "You said you remembered me. What do you remember?"

Kathryn wasn't sure what she wanted to tell him. "It was in a bar in San Francisco, I was there with a couple of friends.

You were newly out of the Academy and on leave from your first posting. Everyone was talking about what an amazing pilot you were and I'd seen several of the female cadets and officers in the bar fawning over you. A friend of mine kept commenting on how attractive you were and was trying to decide if she should go over there and use her higher rank to get to the front of the line and take a shot at you."

"When you looked up from the group of people and noticed me a couple of tables away, you smiled and mouthed hello. My friend asked if I knew you and I said yes. The first thing out of her mouth was 'is he as good in bed as he looks like he'd be?'. I had to tell her that I didn't know you that well. She was a little disappointed, she thought that maybe I really did have a wild side and she just hadn't seen it yet," she laughed at the memory.

"When she noticed you heading in our direction she said this was my chance to get a little crazy without regrets. That you didn't look like a one night stand a girl would have regrets about in the morning," Kathryn recalled, adding to herself _'definitely not a one night stand a girl would regret.'_

Tom laughed as he recalled the night, "Your friend, Lizette, wasn't it? She was a lot of fun. I liked her."

"You remember her?" she said, surprised that Tom would remember the night, let alone the name of her friend.

"Yeah, she was dancing with all the guys and kept telling us we should get out on the dancefloor. Not to mention, every time you weren't paying attention, she'd tell me I should take you home with me. That you were in desperate need of a good time and I looked like a good time."

"Lizette didn't find subtlety to be an admirable quality in a person. She was very direct."

"She thought you worked too hard and needed to let go every once in a while."

"Which was why she was always bringing me to all the hotspots when ever she had the chance," Kathryn pointed out.

"She was right. You do work too hard."

"You don't get to be Captain of your own starship by partying all of the time," she said pointedly and then with a sigh added, "Yes, sometimes I work too hard. I had all of these goals set for myself and sometimes I'd lose sight of everything else."

"You know, I was really attracted to you. Lizette kept giving me all of these ideas and, of course, there were all those unfulfilled teenage fantasies I had about you. I really tried to get you to take me home."

"I noticed. You seemed a little unsure of yourself and that surprised me."

"You weren't the type of girl I usually tried to pick up in a bar," Tom admitted to her. "I usually went for the sure thing. You, on the other hand, were everything, but a sure thing. I wasn't use to having to work for it. Now I wish I'd tried harder."

"I thought about it, going home with you," she admitted to him.

Kathryn felt the tension between them rising as they confessed their earlier desires for each other and decided to change the topic. "What I remember most was how your father talked about you. I was a little jealous," she admitted with a lopsided smile on her face.

"The grass is always greener? ..." he asked with a bit of wonder in his voice. Tom found it hard to believe that the indomitable Kathryn Janeway had anything to feel jealous about when it came to him.

"I met your father in my third year at the Academy, by that time my own father had withdrawn so far from our family, from me, that we hardly knew each other anymore. When he was home, which was rarely, we talked, but, in those talks nothing was ever really said."

"When I was young, he was home all of the time, he was my world and when things changed at home, I did everything I could to make him proud, to have him tell me how proud he was of me. I worked hard to do everything better then everyone else, to show him I was worthy of his attention," Kathryn said with obvious hurt in her voice.

"At that first meeting with your father, after he'd agreed to be my adviser, Owen picked up a picture of you and your sisters and talked of you all with so much pride in his voice. He seemed to love you all very much and at that point in time I wasn't so confident in my father's love for me."

Kathryn watched a myriad of emotions play across Tom's face and she reached for his hand and squeezed gently, but, didn't let it go. "Both of our fathers were good at telling others how proud they were of us, unfortunately, they seemed to forget at some point that it was necessary to tell us."

Tom raised his eyes to look Kathryn in the eyes, realizing how similar they really were. "It's hard when everything you've ever known changes. I never had an easy time with my father, but, he was never the same after the Cardassians, I had a lot of trouble dealing with the man that came home from that mission."

Tom was more then ready to change the subject to a lighter topic. She was still holding his hand and he interlocked his fingers with hers as he smiled, "So, why don't you tell me about your first boyfriend?"

Kathryn smiled as she looked from their interlocked hands to his face, "Really, Tom, don't you think there are certain things you shouldn't ask your Captain?"

"Of course, but, I'm not asking my Captain. I'm asking my friend, Kathryn. So, you need to tell me about your first boyfriend."

Kathryn and Tom spent the remainder of their bridge shift learning about the important moments in each others' lives. Kathryn told Tom about Cheb, Justin and Mark, fixing her relationship with her father and how she lost him so soon after that. She even told him about her dogs. Tom talked about his early childhood, his early love of flying, but, how he really wanted to sail ships. He told Kathryn how he ended up in Starfleet, why he came clean after Caldik Prime and what he'd been doing when Chakotay, the then Maquis Captain, had recruited him into the cause and what the New Zealand Penal colony had been like.

By the time Chakotay left the turbolift and arrived on the bridge, the pair knew each other intimately.

"Good evening Captain, Lieutenant Paris," Chakotay said as he approached the command center, taking in the relaxed manner of both the occupants of the command chairs. He was used to seeing Paris in such a manner, but, it was something that was rarely ever glimpsed in the Captain.

"Chakotay," Kathryn said happily, a smile came to her face as she got up to greet her first officer. "How was the planet?"

"Good. Very relaxing. How is everything going up here on Voyager."

"Nothing at all to report. Repairs have all gone smoothly and we'll be ready to depart as soon as the crew are all back onboard tomorrow afternoon. Tom and I have been passing the time reliving old memories."

"Really?" Chakotay answered as he eyed the younger man.

"Yes." she said simply. "Tell me about your mini shore leave."

Tom watched his two commanding officers interact, his unease with Chakotay's familiarity with Kathryn growing deeper by the second. They seemed very close and that wasn't sitting well with him. Kathryn, casually and without thought, placed her hand on Chakotay's arm as she listened to him tell her about what he'd been doing. Tom watched Chakotay as he glanced down to where Kathryn's hand lay him, he, also, saw Chakotay lean slightly into Kathryn's space as she spoke with him. Tom's fists clenched.

He was no longer listening to the words, but, watching their body language and Chakotay had taken notice of Tom's intent gaze. Chakotay put his hand on Kathryn's elbow and began to guide her towards the ready room door, "Can I talk to you alone for a..."

Tom shot out of the Commander's chair and was in front of the man before Chakotay could react. "Like hell you can," Tom blazed as he pulled his fist back and punched the bigger man in the mouth.

Kathryn's shock didn't stop her from reacting, she quickly maneuvered herself between the two men. Facing Tom she turned her head to look at Chakotay, "Just stay right there," she commanded him.

Angry, but, unwilling to take action against Tom with Kathryn standing between them, Chakotay rubbed his jaw as he asked, "What the hell is going on here?"

"A moment, Commander," Kathryn said as she turned back towards Tom. She looked at Tom intently, but, he was watching Chakotay. "Tom, you need to stop and think," she said softly.

He looked down at her for a moment, anger clearly marking his face. "You are not talking to him alone," Tom stated firmly.

"Who are you to say what she can and can not do?" Chakotay demanded, clearly not liking what he was seeing between the two of them.

"I am..."

"No, Tom, you're not..." She started as she put her hands on her hips, it was time to be the Captain. "Lieutenant Paris, you will report to sickbay, immediately," she said with full authority.

"I am not..."

"Lieutenant Paris. Sickbay. Now. Or I will have security escort you there. Is that understood?" she said with anger clearly evident in her voice and posture.

Her anger brought him back to himself and his surroundings, "Yes, Captain," he said in a distressed tone. He looked towards Chakotay, still unsettled by the proposition of leaving Kathryn alone with him, but, understanding that his reaction was both out of line and unnecessary, "I don't really know what to say. Sorry."

"Tom, sickbay. I'll explain this to the Commander. You need to tell the Doctor **everything **that has happened since we left sickbay."

"Everything?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said firmly. "Let the Doctor know I'll be down there as soon as I finish on the bridge. This isn't resolving itself and I can't have fights breaking out on the bridge or any place else. Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Kathryn watched Tom enter the turbolift, when he had safely left the bridge she brought a hand up to rub her forehead as she turned back towards Chakotay. He watched the emotions play across her face as he tried to decide what was going on and how he should handle the Captain in this instance. "Tom punches me and then he goes to sickbay. This seems a little reversed," he said lightly.

She tilted her head up to look him in the eyes, shaking her head. "You'll be okay, it doesn't look that bad," she smiled as she took his chin in her hand to get a clear look at the bruise, "Damn, Chakotay, I'm not even sure where to begin explaining this one."

"Are you sleeping with him?" he asked, without meaning too.

"Simply put, yes." she admitted, "Unfortunately, it's not as simple as all of that."

Chakotay touched her arm softly, "Then explain it to me. I will do my best to help you," he said gently, trying to keep his own emotions on the matter to himself. Her distress at the situation was clearly written all over her, from her face to the way she carried herself, and she didn't need anything more added to it.

Kathryn was gathering her thoughts when the turbolift doors opened to reveal Harry Kim.

Harry immediately took in the Captain's appearance, the slight swelling on Chakotay's jaw and the absence of Tom Paris and knew that nothing had gone back to normal and had, in fact, become worse. He just hoped his best friend wasn't sitting in the brig right now. "Good evening, Captain and Commander." he greeted, knowing he did not want to reveal what he knew.

"Good evening, Mr. Kim," Kathryn said.

Chakotay nodded to the young man, "Ensign, you have the bridge. The Captain and I have some things to discuss in her ready room."

"Yes, Sir," he said as he watched the Commander lead Captain Janeway into her office. _'He knows,'_ Harry thought, _'Tom is a dead man.'_

Chakotay lead her to the sofa, as she sat he asked, "Coffee?"

"No, nothing, thank you," she said and then decided to dive right in as Chakotay sat beside her. "This all happened because Tom and I have been having some rather interesting and distracting side effects since waking up in sickbay."

"What kind of side effects?" he asked with interest.

"Well, there's the one that caused Tom to hit you. We've become very territorial towards each other. Luckily for me, I've only had it happen once and I was able to control my reaction. Tom has had to deal with his reaction towards you on several different occasions and it finally hit the wall today."

"I think it hit me," Chakotay joked. "What else has been happening?"

"I can … We are completely aware of each other, I know if he's entered a room, even if I'm not looking. He's invaded all of my senses and I have invaded his. I can smell him, whether he's near me or not. If we touch I feel like an electrical current is running through me, I can't think, or more to the point, I can only think about touching him, kissing him." she was stunned by how quickly she confessed everything to Chakotay.

"Kathryn, what's happened?"

She was frustrated at the situation and let it show in her reply, "What's happened? What's happened is I'm sleeping with my helmsman for pity's sake. What's happened is, on several occasions in the last week, I've done things I would never tolerate from a member of my crew. What's happened is I almost started a fight with my chief engineer because she happened to touch Tom in the messhall. What's happened is if we go for more than a couple of days without sleeping with each other, I can't think straight, I'm climbing the walls. What's happened is completely ridiculous and yet I can't seem to stop it."

He had to keep from smiling at the thought of the Captain starting a fight with the fiery Klingon engineer, he managed to keep his mirth to himself as he asked the next obvious question. "What does the Doctor say?"

"And there lays the biggest problem of them all," she said with a sigh. "He doesn't know. Or I should say, he doesn't know the extent of it. Though, I suppose he's getting an ear full from Tom right now."

"You didn't tell him?" Chakotay said incredulously.

"I told him in very general terms," Kathryn replied defensively. "He seemed to think what was happening would resolve on it's own. When I'd talked to him, nothing had happened between Tom and myself. I was just very aware of him. I let the Doctor know that my senses were heightened, but, I didn't tell him the nature of these heightened senses."

"Kathryn," Chakotay said with concern in his voice, "Have you considered that this is how things are going to stay? No one can be sure of the lasting changes brought on by your situation. Or about what you're going to do when this does get resolved?"

"Not really," she admitted. "The Doctor will figure this all out, he always does. Besides, it's Tom. Everything will be fine, eventually."

Chakotay took her hand. "I'm not sure exactly what I'm suppose to do here. Do I tell you I have faith that the Doctor will figure this out? Do I warn you about the potential problems of being involved with a member of your crew?"

"Both, maybe," she replied. "But, I've gone over it all with myself and I've even discussed it with Tom."

"What is Tom's take on the situation?" he asked, interested in the younger man's view of the current happenings.

"Tom seems to think that Command will understand the extenuating circumstances surrounding this incident. Plus, since we're not likely to see Federation space for some time, Command can't expect me, or anyone else on this ship, to remain unattached for the duration of our voyage."

"He does have a point, Kathryn," Chakotay admitted. "You can't expect to be able to remain apart from the people around you for our entire journey. It wouldn't be healthy for you and it wouldn't be beneficial to the crew."

"What about the crew?" It was a question that had been plaguing her since this began.

"What about them?" Chakotay said, encouraging her to give voice to her concerns.

"Command might understand, as you said. What about the crew?"

"Captain's have relationships, Kathryn."

"Yes, but, not with people directly under their command. Tom is a member of my bridge crew and a trusted part of my senior staff. He's not the most ideal choice."

"I think the crew understands that we are all in a unique situation and certain things that work in the confines of the Federation aren't going to work out here. If they see that you're not playing favorites, I think they will be okay with it. That doesn't mean there won't be a fair amount of speculation, but, I don't think it will be anything that can't be handled."

Chakotay paused for a moment before continuing, "Maybe, we need some protocol for these types of situations for the entire ship. I can't imagine this is going to be the only instance where a relationship will occur between two people in the same chain of command."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"A neutral party who can look at command decisions objectivity. In your case, that's easy, no one looks at situations more objectively then Tuvok. Plus, you trust him. If Tuvok told you that you were acting unfairly or your decision making was impaired due to your personal relationship, you'd believe him."

"True. But, what about the rest of the crew?"

"I guess we'll need to let them know we need to be informed of any relationships between people in the same department. That we have no intentions of censoring these relationships, but, we need to be aware of them so that everyone's working relationships remain unbiased by personal feelings."

"Do you think I can remain unbiased in my decision making?"

"I have no doubts about your abilities when it comes to what's best for Voyager and her crew."

Kathryn gave Chakotay a wry smile, as she got up and moved towards the door, "Are you condoning a relationship between the Captain of this ship and a member of her crew?"

"I suppose I might be," he said as he gave her a slight smile as he followed her to the door. "I can't say I was expecting it to be with Tom Paris, though."

As she looked back at him, she saw it in his eyes, it had only been there for an instant, but, it had been enough. Tom had been right about Chakotay having feelings for her. As the ready room door slid open she turned towards him and placed her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Chakotay," she said simply, but, coupled with the pure emotion on her face it was enough for him. The potential for them to ever be something more wasn't there. She would never be his.

"Everything will be fine," he answered as she turned to leave the bridge.

Chakotay settled into the Captain's chair and a long shift of contemplation.

It was the longest shift of Harry Kim's life.


	9. Chapter 9

"Please state the nat... Mr. Paris, what can I do for you today?" The EMH asked as he saw who had activated his program.

"The Captain sent me," he replied uncomfortably. "She told me to inform you that she'd be down to speak to you as soon as she could."

"To what end? You don't appear to be ill."

"No, I'm not. She wants me to discuss with you the true nature of our side effects."

Tom was visibly uncomfortable and the Doctor noticed, but, didn't have enough information to hypothesis as to why. "Ah, yes, the heightened senses. What is there that she feels you haven't told me."

Tom jumped right in, no need to prolong the agony of telling the Doctor. "That all of our senses are focused on each other."

"How does she expect me to work when she leaves out pertinent information?" The Doctor demanded, exasperated.

"At the time, it didn't seem important." Tom defended.

"At anytime since then, has it seemed important?" the Doctor countered.

Tom lowered himself into a chair in the Doctor's office. "Yes, but, we were kind of hoping this would all disappear before it got out of hand."

"Your appearance here, looking all hanged dog, suggests that things have indeed gotten out of hand, as you put it."

"I just punched Commander Chakotay on the bridge," Tom said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands.

"You did what?" The Doctor asked with amusement in his voice.

"You heard me," Tom snapped. "I don't know how to explain this. Every time I see the Captain with the Commander I feel the need to stake my claim on her. It makes me unnecessarily angry when ever I see or even know that they are together. Just now, Chakotay had wanted to speak to her alone and I couldn't let that happen."

"So, you punched him?"

"Yeah, I wasn't thinking. I was about to tell him in no uncertain terms that she belonged to me, but, Kathryn stepped in between us and took control of the situation. Sending me down here to talk to you."

"Now that the Captain believes that I should know the nature of your symptoms, please explain to me everything that has occurred."

"It started with an acute awareness of each other. We can smell each other, from decks away. When we touch each other, even casually, my whole body tingles. The day you released us from sickbay, we found ourselves in a turbolift together and alone, before we even knew what we were doing we were kissing each other. If we'd been somewhere else, if the doors hadn't opened when they did, a whole hell of a lot more would have happened," Tom confessed. "In fact, a lot more happened later on that night. We were actually trying to avoid each other and we ended up in the same place together."

Tom stopped for a moment and looked up at the Doctor to gauge his reaction to his confession. So far, so good, he seemed to be listening with clinical detachment. Tom, didn't see any evidence that the Doctor was about to make some acerbic quips about the situation. Tom really didn't think he could handle that right now. "We had sex."

"Lieutenant Paris, the Captain had a full medical scan the following morning. That would have appeared."

Tom looked a little ashamed, "Doc, it was a scan that I took. I deleted the information off the tricorder."

The Doctor looked shocked, "Deleting pertinent medical information is a serious offense, even if one is doing it for the Captain."

"We didn't think it was pertinent. We were hoping this was all going to fix itself and you wouldn't need to know any of this."

"Is there anything else that you need to add to this?"

"Yes, before we had sex, my need for her was nearly unbearable, it was taking all of my control just to try to stay away from her. When we ended up in the same room together, there really was no way to stop it. We both needed it to happen. Afterward, I felt better, my head cleared, my agitation lessened, my awareness of her was still there, but, my need for her had become manageable."

"Mr. Paris, I'm going to need you to tell me about every encounter you've had with Captain Janeway."

Tom told him everything that had happened in the last 6 days. "Were all of these encounters as uncontrollable as the first one?"

Tom wanted to say yes, it wold make everything seem so much better. "No," he admitted. "That first time, I hadn't even comprehended that we were having sex until after it happened. We didn't decide to pursue each other. One minute we were standing across the room from each other and the next thing I knew we were naked on the floor."

"The other times, I was aware of what I was doing."

The Doctor took a moment to process all of the information Tom had given him. "There are some species in the Federation that chemically bond with their mate, I've never really studied this phenomenon, because we have no one on board that is from any of these species. Their bonds form in different ways, so I suppose the first step in solving the problem is to find out if you and the Captain have chemically bonded and if so where in the brain it is taking place. Let's go run some tests and get a full brain scan done on you."

As the two of them walked from the Doctor's office to one of the biobeds in the main sickbay area Tom asked, "If we where chemically bonded, why wouldn't you have seen it before? You ran a million tests and scans."

"I was concerned with your DNA sequencing, making sure it would hold together and stay stable. I wasn't looking for an over production of hormones," he said haughtily.

"When you escaped from sickbay, where you looking for the Captain or did you just run into her by chance?" he asked as he began to scan Tom.

"It was chance," Tom started, but, stumbled over the last word as he thought about that day. "I was following something, I'm not sure what, but, when I ran into the Captain I had the feeling that I had found what I was looking for."

Damn, had he chosen her? Had he wanted it to be her, even before he'd completely changed? Had it been her, even when Tom Paris had still had some control?

"Had you come across other female crew members before discovering the Captain?"

"Yes, I had to hide from at least two," he turned surprised eyes to the Doctor. "I chose her."

=/\=

The verbal tirade she had received from the Doctor for nondisclosure of medical issues had taken more energy out of her than she had left in her, she felt drained. Kathryn just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. But, she had a question for Tom and knew she wouldn't be able to rest without an answer.

The Doctor had no immediate solution to the issue at hand, but, he had explained his theories and assured her that he would be working diligently on it. Two things from their meeting had stuck with her. One was that to her utter shock, the Doctor had casually suggested that Tom and she 'just keep doing what you've been doing, until I have some answers.' He had, for all intents and purposes, medically condoned their sexual relationship.

The second thing on her mind was something the Doctor had said which led her to believe, perhaps, Tom had specifically chosen her before leaving Voyager and going to the planet. Kathryn wasn't sure how she felt about that thought. This would be much easier to handle if Tom taking her to warp 10 had been by chance and the aftermath turned out to be chemical and none of it had been of their choosing.

She stood for a moment outside of Tom's quarters, trying to decide how to broach the matter with him. With nothing immediately coming to mind she rang the chime, she didn't want to be found just standing outside Tom's door.

She was lost in thought and hadn't noticed the door slide open to reveal Tom. "Captain?" he asked, startling her out of her ruminations. He gestured with his arms for her to enter, "I'm sorry about what happened on the bridge, there is no excuse, I should have been able to control myself better," he said in a self berating tone. " Am I in a horrendous amount of trouble?"

She smiled at him. "More trouble then you have ever seen," she said as she maneuvered through his quarters and sat down. "Everything is fine. I talked to Chakotay, told him everything." With a sly smile she added, "Though, that doesn't mean he won't be laying in wait to even the score."

"Don't I know that," Tom said with an exaggerated look of fear on his face. "I'm sure he's got a list of things he wants to pay me back for, too. The least of which is me punching him"

"I just finished talking with the Doctor. We will not be cleared for duty until he is sure that we can both function properly."

Tom joined her on the sofa, bringing a leg up to rest on the sofa as he faced her. He placed his elbow on the back of the sofa and rested his head against his hand. "You mean, until he's confident neither of us will be beating anyone up."

"Something like that," Kathryn laughed as Tom made himself comfortable next to her.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Kathryn brought up the reason for her visit, "Tom, why me?" she asked quietly.

"I've been asking myself that since I figured out that I chose you, specifically. Other than Harry, you're the person that I have the deepest connection to on Voyager. You gave me a huge opportunity by getting me out of prison. But, more important than that, you trusted me on that first mission to get Harry back and later you trusted me with your ship. You didn't need to do any of those things. You trusting the Maquis members to become part of your crew, to be your first officer and your chief engineer, those are decisions that say a lot about the woman you are. Maybe, what drew me to you was more than attraction," he replied honestly as he reached out to run his fingers along her cheek. "I like who I see when I really look at you."

"Are you in love with me?" she asked simply.

"I'd be lying if I told you no," he started, him voice filled with all of the emotions he was feeling. "But, I can't tell you yes, either. I'm not sure. Since coming to Voyager, I haven't given much thought to how I feel about you, until very recently that is. You're my captain. That was suppose to put you in _the don't even think about her, Paris_ category. Where you obviously haven't stayed," he pointed out. "You're a hard woman to ignore, Kathryn Janeway."

Tom remained silent for a moment, thinking about what she had asked him. "With everything else that is going on right now, it's hard to know what's me and what's not. I don't know, maybe this is all me. All I know is that everything feels right when I'm with you. Is that what you're looking for?"

Kathryn sighed and laid her head against the back of the couch as she closed her eyes, "I don't know. I'm not sure what I'm looking for."

She felt him shift next to her, but, she didn't open her eyes. The next thing she felt were his lips brush against hers and she opened her mouth instinctively against his. Lips still against hers, she felt his lips move as he said, "You seem tired. Rough day?"

She laughed lightly against his mouth, "Yeah, I had to break up a fight on the bridge, have a heart to heart with my first officer about my sex life and after all of that, I got yelled at by my holographic CMO about my inability to disclose my medical issues."

"Sounds rough," he said as he pulled her towards him, bringing her to rest with her back against his chest. "I can help," he said as he began to press his fingers into the tired muscles of her neck and shoulders.

"Wow, that feels so good," she said with a hum, relaxing into him.

Tom began to talk to her in a low voice as he slowly worked the tension out of her muscles. He moved his hands further down her back, still working on her tired muscles, and placed his lips against her neck, nuzzling into her, taking in her scent. All of his worries slid away as he enjoyed her presence.

Kathryn felt the tension ease from her body as Tom worked on her muscles, her head fell against his shoulder and she felt his lips brush against her cheek. Everything felt so right when she was with Tom, all of her concerns seemed a little less important when he was next to her. She snuggled closer to him, pressing her back into his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I should go," she whispered, not sounding very convincing.

"You don't want to go," Tom said, fingering the waist of her uniform jacket. "I can hear it in your voice. You want to stay."

"I want to stay. I shouldn't..."

"Kathryn, stay, please."

"Tom, the crew..."

"The crew is on shoreleave," he countered. "They're not looking for their Captain."

"I'll stay," she said as she turned her head and placed a kiss on his jaw. "Not all night, I'm tired, I need to go to bed."

Tom gently moved from behind Kathryn and sat on the edge of the table in front of the sofa, he took one of her feet in his lap and began to unlace her boot. "What are you doing?"

"Making you comfortable. You're tired, you said so yourself. Let's go to bed," he said, as he finished pulling off the first boot and took her other foot in his lap.

He removed her other boot, dropped it next to the sofa along with it's twin and reached for the zipper of her uniform jacket, unzipping it. He got to his feet and reached for her hands, pulling her to her feet. Tom slipped the jacket from her shoulders and pulled it off, leaving it on the sofa. Taking Kathryn by the hand, he moved towards the bedroom.

Kathryn pulled on Tom's hand to get him to look at her, "I need to go to sleep, not go to bed with you. There is a difference."

Tom gave a short laugh and a grin. "One is infinitely more fun then the other, for starters. But, my intentions are pure. I'm going to put you to bed." He watched the look of doubt play across her face. "To sleep, I promise. I discovered the other night that I really enjoy sleeping next to you. It was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time."

He began leading her to the bedroom again. "I'm not quite sure if it was you or your very comfortable bed that helped me sleep so well. I'm going to put you in my bed and see what happens. Let's call it a science experiment," he laughed.

Kathryn laughed along with him as they neared the bed, "If it's in the name of science, we should get in bed directly. I can't be the reason for this line of scientific inquiry going untested."

"I knew the scientist in you would understand," he stated as he walked over to his closet, he searched for a few seconds before pulling out a t-shirt.

Tom returned to Kathryn, placing the shirt on the edge of the bed as he reached for the button of her pants. He quickly divested her of her pants and reached for the hem of her gray shirt and began to pull it off. Kathryn raised her arms to help him undress her. He drop the shirt on the end of his bed. "On or off?" he asked, running his fingers under the strap of her bra.

"Off," she stated.

"Wonderful," he smiled as he reached behind her to unhook the garment, lightly brushing his lips against her neck as he did so. He pulled away from her, bringing her under garment with him, letting it fall to the bed with her shirt.

Tom let his eyes wander over her body, briefly, before reaching for the t-shirt he'd placed on the bed and pulled it over Kathryn's head as she put her arms in and he let his hands slide over the contours of her body. "I can dress myself, Tom."

"I'm sure you've been doing it for years. This is just an excuse to touch you." He moved his eyes over her body, again, noting the t-shirt's hem landed high on her thighs. "You look good in my shirt."

"Thanks," Kathryn smiled as she looked down at the shirt. "What the hell is a Led Zeppelin! It doesn't sound very practical."

He laughed, "It's not a what, it's a who. They were a band in the 1970's. Some say the best of the era. This is a replica of their 1977 US tour shirt."

"So, your knowledge of the 1900's isn't limited to modes of transportation?" she asked, truly interested.

"No. I love that time period. Mid century is when everything started changing technology wise, televisions, computers, going to the moon. It's fascinating."

"You'll have to introduce me to some of your favorite things about the time. I really don't know much about it, other then the moon landing."

"I'd love to," he smiled. He could tell that she was interested in learning more about his likes. She wasn't just humoring him. "Time for you to get into bed," he commanded.

"I'm going to wash my face first. Is that all right with you, Sir?"

"Permission granted," he said as he walked back over to the dresser.

Tom quickly stripped off his uniform and pulled on a pair of shorts while Kathryn was busy in the bathroom. Tom folded their uniforms and placed them on the dresser top, side by side, he smiled at that. It suggested a certain intimacy, an intimacy that Tom found he very much wanted with the fiery captain of Voyager.

Tom made himself comfortable in bed as Kathryn emerged from the bathroom, face devoid of makeup and her hair tumbling down well past her shoulders. He lifted the blankets up and Kathryn slipped into his bed, lying on her side, her back nestled against his chest. Tom was silently overjoyed to see her willingly lying in his bed. He covered her with the blanket before he slid one arm under her head and put the other around her waist, pulling her firmly against him. She let out a soft sigh as the warmth of Tom's body caused her own body to relax with tranquility. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth and security of his embrace.

Tom felt his heartbeat increase, the pleasure of having Kathryn pressed against him washed over him. _"You will behave,"_ he firmly told himself. _"We are sleeping, nothing else."_ When he was sure he had his body under control, he whispered, "Kathryn, is this okay?"

"Perfect," she sleepily answered.

Tom nestled his head closer to her and kissed the back of her neck. She covered the hand resting on her stomach with her own and laced her fingers with his. "Sleep well," Tom smiled into her hair as he closed his eye and let sleep overtake him.


	10. Chapter 10

"Computer, time," Kathryn asked the ship. She'd woken to find herself sleeping half on and half off Tom, her cheek resting on his chest and one of her legs trapped between his. His arms were around her waist, holding her to him. She felt better rested then she had in a long time.

"The current time is 08:14," came the reply. She'd slept through the entire night.

Tom had awoken to the sound of her voice, extracting his arms from around Kathryn, he stretched them over his head. "Morning already?" he asked as he wrapped his arms back around her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"I can't believe I slept the entire night," Kathryn smiled, feeling Tom's lips tickling her neck. "That is truly a rare occurrence."

"I guess this means it's not the bed, but, the sleeping partner that is the key." Tom smiled against her neck, as he ran his hands down her back and then back up and under the t-shirt. "We'll have to continue to share a bed, just so you can stay well rested. After all, a happy Captain makes for a happy crew."

She sighed softly, as his hands came in contact with her flesh. "This is all to benefit the crew, then?" she smiled ruefully.

"That's my story. There are benefits to having you in my bed, so, I'm more then willing to do my part in keeping the captain happy," he laughed. "Now that we are both well rested and we still happen to be in bed, maybe it's time to move onto some of those benefits," he smiled, punctuating his words with another kiss on her neck and then running his tongue along the delicate slope of her shoulder.

Kathryn's next sigh turned into a soft moan, when Tom slid his hands along her sides and his thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts. His hands continued upwards, bringing her arms and the t-shirt up, he quickly removed the shirt and brought his hands back to her waist. He pulled her full against him as his mouth found hers.

He moved his lips slowly over hers, each attentive caress of his lips arousing her further. Her hands caressed his muscled arms and her lips parted further, inviting him to deepen their kiss. He was only to happy to do as she wished.

He rolled fully onto his back, bringing Kathryn to rest atop him. He continued to explore her mouth as his hands moved down her back and to her ass, pulling her more firmly against him. His desire clearly evident through their thin garments.

Kathryn reached behind her, taking both of Tom's hands in her own. She laced her fingers with his and moved their intertwined hands to the bed, on either side of his head. She lowered her lips to his, outlining his lips with her tongue before delving into his mouth, further deepening their kiss. She pressed the length of her body against his, enjoying the feel of her chest pressed to his.

She moved her knees to rest beside Tom's waist, now straddling him, she used her new position to intensify the contact between his erection and her mound. Even through their clothes the contact was electric, Kathryn rotated her hips to increase the delightful heat radiating through her.

Kathryn pulled her lips away from Tom's, lifting her head enough to look into his eyes. Tom marveled at the woman above him, bright eyed, flushed, hair tumbling wildly around her face, breathing slightly hitched. He found her irresistible. In a husky voice, as she looked into his eyes, she breathed, "Tell me what you want."

It was nearly his undoing. "Damn," left his lips as a moan. "You, Kathryn. All I want is you, anyway you will give yourself to me."

Tom lifted his head from the bed and captured Kathryn's lips with his own. Admittance was immediately granted, as he slowly moved his lips against hers. With lips still connected, Kathryn rolled off Tom and onto her side. Bringing them both to rest on their sides, still locked in their kiss. She threw one leg over Tom's waist, using it to pull and hold him firmly to her.

Tom broke off their kiss, moving his lips across her jaw and to her neck and finishing with small kisses to her shoulder. "We've got all morning," he whispered to her as he led her onto her back. Laying on his side, with elbow bent, he rested his head on his hand as he looked down at her. "I have every intention of using this time wisely."

He brought his hand to her face, running the fingers softly across her cheek and down her neck. Continuing on a path that led him between her breasts and down to the flat, muscled planes of her stomach. Tom caressed her gently as his eyes followed the same path. "You have the softest skin, I love touching you," he whispered as he leaned over her, placing his lips to hers, searching the depths of her mouth with his tongue.

Tom continued his delicate exploration of her mouth as his hand made it's way under the waistband of her panties and he slid two fingers between her moist folds. A small gasp of pleasure emerged from her lips as his fingers made contact with her sensitive nub. Her thighs fell apart, offering him better access to her core, he slid his fingers down and in, feeling her inner walls contract around the welcome invasion. He slid his fingers in and out slowly as he added pressure to her clitoris with his palm.

Kathryn was awash in sensations, her body becoming more inflamed with each stroke of his fingers. She slid one hand up Tom's thigh until she came in contact with his hard manhood, rubbing him through his shorts, as the fingers of her other hand curled into the sheets, gripping them tightly. She gripped Tom's erection through the cloth as she felt him move his thumb over her clitoris. "Kathryn, I can't think when you touch me. You need to let go."

She quickly ran her fingers along him again before moving her hand to his thigh, pressing her fingers into his flesh.

"You asked me what I wanted," he breathed softly into her ear, "I want to watch you."

She moaned in pleasure at the eroticism of his request as he continued to caress and fill her with his fingers. Tom continued to whisper softly to her as he continued to work her into a frenzy of pleasure. "You are gorgeous, Kathryn. Let me see what you look like, let go."

She was aching for release, "Oh, yes," slipped from her lips, as she gave into the immense pleasure of Tom's ministrations. "I'm so close, please, Tom."

Tom curled his fingers as he moved them within her, increasing her pleasure and bringing her nearer and nearer to the edge of sanity. Her eyes slid shut and her hips started to move against his hand of their own accord. Tom sucked in a ragged breath as he took in the sight of Kathryn's overheated body; immensely satisfied that he could bring her to absolute abandon. He shifted his body, bringing his face above hers, he took in the sight of her classically beautiful features contorted in pleasure. "Open your eyes," he requested, never stopping his assault on her core.

Kathryn's eyes slowly opened and immediately locked with his, his gaze like a pair of hands running over her. The arousal clearly evident in his blue eyes overwhelmed her, her orgasm rocketed through her whole body. Her body arched towards him as she continued to respond to his touch. "Tom, Tom, Tom!" she cried out in release, still locked in his desire filled gaze.

He was enthralled by the desire blazing in her eyes, the way her porcelain skin flushed with passion, the way her breath came in short gasps, the way her scent changed to one of musky need. Kathryn Janeway, lost in her own burning desire, was the most arousing spectacle Tom had ever seen. "Amazing, you look amazing," Tom confessed as his mouth descended on hers for another searing kiss.

Unable to catch her breath, Kathryn finally had to break their kiss to take in much needed air. "I want you, now. Tom, right now," her demand came out in short gasps as she reached for his waistband and began pushing his shorts down his body and out of her way.

"Demanding aren't you?" he smiled as he placed a kiss against the delicate slope of her shoulder.

"Always," she laughed. "How long have you been on this ship? You should know that by now."

They quickly divested each other of their remaining clothing and Tom moved above her, placing his knees between hers. Kathryn reached for Tom's manhood, rubbing it gently against her moist folds before positioning him at her entrance. "Do it, now," she moaned in anticipation of the pleasure to come.

Tom entered her with one deep, powerful thrust, burying himself in her. He dropped his head to Kathryn's shoulder, turning his face into her neck, nipping her softly as he heard her sigh in pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his body, crossing her ankles, she dug her feet into his backside as she used her powerful thigh muscles to pull herself up and against his body.

Kathryn continued to mold herself to Tom, pressing fingers into hard shoulder muscles, tightening her thighs around his waist, her body pleading silently with him to move. He took a deep breath, willing himself to keep control as he was engulfed with the sensual sensations of Kathryn Janeway beneath him and wanting him.

Finally, he gave her what they both wanted. He slowly pulled away from her, before plunging himself back inside her. Over and over, he retreated from her, only to drive himself back into her wet, heated softness with tremendous force. He continued his slow systematic invasion of her body, building both of their desire for release to new heights. Kathryn matched his moves as he began to increase the tempo of his strokes, keeping them long and deep.

Kathryn was ablaze, each of Tom's powerful strokes filling her and sending waves of pleasure through her entire body. She unsuccessfully tried to quicken Tom's pace, arching herself into his every stroke as her insides clenched around his length. The pressure building within her, with each powerful thrust, demanding to be released. Her entire body began to shake in anticipation of her release, her breaths uneven, hands grasping at Tom's muscular biceps. He continued his deep thrusts as he reached one hand between them and into her slick, soft folds, finally making contact with her inflamed nub. Her orgasm exploded from her in a kaleidoscope of pleasure, her body arching up into his as Kathryn screamed his name in fulfillment.

Tom watched the look of ecstasy take over her features as her entire being reacted to his. He lost his control as the sound of her screaming his name reached his ears, his arousal increased to uncontrollable proportions. He drove his manhood into her relentlessly, his thrusts losing their systematic rhythm, but none of their power as he searched for his own release.

Kathryn tilted her hips, giving him better access to her depths as she gripped his shoulders, nails scrapping across his smooth flesh. "Oh, yesss, Tom," she wailed over and over. That was all he needed, with one finally, powerful thrust he buried himself deep within her as his own climax raced through his body, exploding inside her.

With her body still trembling, Kathryn welcomed Tom's weight as he collapsed on top of her, both of them breathless and sated. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hands over the taunt muscles, enjoying the feel of his slick back under her fingers. She moved her fingers up his scalp, twining her fingers in his hair, she pulled his lips to hers. She moved her lips against his, demanding his surrender and he gave it to her willingly.

Tom rolled off her to lay on his back beside her, he gathered her into his arms. She lay her head on his chest, placing a soft kiss on his flat nipple. Snuggling close to him, she gave a throaty chuckle, "I think if a crews' mood is dependent on their captain's, I'm going to have a damn satisfied crew."

=/\=

Kathryn was showering when Tom's door chimed. He knew it was Harry immediately, "Enter."

Before the door had a chance to close behind him, Harry jumped straight to his questions, "What happened on the bridge, where were you, what's up with Chakotay and the Captain? Please tell me Chakotay didn't catch you and the Captain in a compromising position."

Tom had to laugh at Harry's last statement and take the opportunity to joke with the naive ensign a bit, "I suppose that would depend on your definition of compromising."

"What! Oh no! What did the Commander walk in on?" he asked, voice high in worry.

"We were … talking," Tom laughed. "Really, Harry. She hasn't completely lost her mind."

"Fine, fine. I don't really believe the Captain would do something like that. But, with you involved, one just never knows," Harry teased. "Where were you?"

"That hurt," Tom said placing his hands to his heart. "The Captain sent me to sickbay to talk to the Doctor," Tom stated.

"Why? Is everything okay?" Harry asked with concern.

"Fine. I punched Chakotay in the mouth when he tried to talk to Kathryn alone," he admitted rather sheepishly.

Harry shook his head in disbelief, "That explains the mood," he paused and added, "and the bruise. I'm guessing he hit you back and you needed medical attention."

"No," Tom admitted. "The Captain stepped between us and ordered Chakotay to stay where he was and ordered me to sickbay to explain things to the Doc. She said she'd explain things to the Commander."

"You mean that he knows? Everything?" He saw Tom shake his head in an affirmative and continued, "He knows you've had s..." he trailed off, searching for a different word.

"Sex," Tom supplied for his embarrassed friend.

"Yeah, well, he's going to kill you when he gets the chance." Harry glanced down and noticed the boots on the floor and then saw the too small for Tom jacket on the sofa. "Oh!" he said in surprise, "The Captain's here?"

Before Tom had a chance to answer, the familiar chirp of a communicator sounded. "The Doctor to Captain Janeway."

Tom groaned. "That answer your question?" he said to Harry as he grabbed the red and black jacket off the sofa, activating the communicator. "Paris here, Doctor."

"Mister Paris, have you and the Captain engaged in sexual relations this morning?"

"Excuse me?" Tom said, shocked as he watched Harry turn three shades of red.

"You heard me. Have you and the Captain..."

"You don't need to repeat it," Tom interrupted. "For future reference, you might want to ask who's all in the room before you ask a question like that."

"Noted," the Doctor said in a clipped tone, "Now answer my question."

"Yes," he said simply, not looking at Harry.

"Excellent."

"Again, excuse me?" More shocked by the Doctor's statement then by the question.

"Could you both please report to sickbay, I'd like to do some scans of both of you post sexual release."

"Thanks for that, Doc," Tom quipped, "We'll be there shortly. Paris out."

Tom turned to Harry, noticing his obvious embarrassment over the Doctor's bluntness. Sometimes the naive ensign thing could be trying. Anyone else would have been making bawdy comments to him. He was about to try to put Harry at ease when he heard Kathryn's voice and he couldn't help but wince.

"Were you talking with the Doctor?"

He didn't have time to tell her Harry was in the room, before she had left the bathroom and was standing in clear view, fresh from the shower and clad only in his t-shirt. He looked from Kathryn to Harry, noticing Harry jump to attention. Tom saw the look of shock that briefly flitted across her face, but, she didn't let the obvious implications of where she was or what she was wearing faze her.

"At ease, Ensign," she said, always the Captain, then added with a smile, "Good morning, Harry."

"Good morning, Captain," he stammered, his eyes quickly taking in her attire, her hair, noticing all the curves the uniform hid. Harry blushed even deeper when he realized the Captain had noticed him checking her out. _'Terrific,' _he thought to himself, _'This is all Tom's fault.'_

"Since the Doctor seems to want to see you both this morning, I'm just going to leave now," Harry said backing up towards the door, obviously uncomfortable.

"Okay Harry," Tom said, trying to keep the end of this conversation casual, if she wasn't going to bring up the half dressed captain in his quarters, neither was he, "see you later. Do you want to meet in the mess for dinner?"

"Sure," Harry replied, eager to get out of Tom's quarters. He looked over to the Captain, again, and blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Captain," he said in way of goodbye as the door slid open.

"Goodbye, Harry," she said to the closing door, then turned to Tom. "You couldn't have told me Harry was here?"

"I'd planned to make sure you knew we weren't alone. Then the Doctor called and everything went downhill from there," he said, moving towards hers. "If it makes you feel better, he already knew you were here and you handled the situation beautifully."

"How did Harry know I was here?"

"The boots, the jacket, plus the communicator was a dead giveaway when 'Doctor to the Captain' came across it."

"Terrific," she said sarcastically as she sat down.

Kathryn realized she wasn't as concerned as she should be. As Captain of Voyager, appearances mattered and a bridge officer, an ensign no less, had just found her coming out of another officer's bedroom, half dressed. She should be more concerned, why wasn't she?

"Harry knew about us already," Tom admitted to Kathryn. "He's known since I spent the night in your quarters."

She cocked her head to one side, a look of displeasure on her face. "I don't need everyone on this ship knowing about us, before we really have an idea of what's going on."

"Everyone is not going to know. While he does love to spread ship's gossip, Harry will keep this to himself, until he's told he doesn't have too anymore."

Kathryn unconsciously moved closer to Tom as he sat down, "Harry's a good friend to have.

"Yes, he is a good friend. More importantly he's an even officer and completely loyal to the Captain of this starship. I believe you've met her before," Tom joked. "This is a little weird for him," Tom told her. "He's still getting used to the idea that you're a woman, not just an above average looking Captain. I'm sure this outfit got the message across loud and clear. I noticed you noticing Harry noticing you."

"It was kind of hard not to notice, he turned a dozen shades of red," Kathryn quipped. "Now, what did the Doctor want?" she asked.

"To thoroughly embarrass everyone!" Tom exclaimed, just thinking about the Doctor's directness made him shake his head. "He knew you were here. It didn't occur to him to check if anyone else was here before asking if you and I had sex this morning. You should have seen Harry's face!"

Kathryn lowered her head as she shook it, "Let's just throw it all out there, in the middle of the floor, for everyone to see," she looked back at Tom with a small smile, "Why did the good doctor think he needed to know this bit of information?"

"Something about wanting to take brain scans post sex," Tom jumped up off the couch. "We should get dressed and get down to sickbay. I want to see if I make your brain light up like an old Earth Christmas tree."


	11. Chapter 11

Kathryn and Tom were sitting on biobeds in sickbay while the Doctor compared their recent brain scans against the previous ones. Tom leaned towards Kathryn, pointing to the scan the Doctor was studying, he whispered, "Look at that, I did make your brain light up like a Christmas tree! I think I need a copy of that scan to keep as evidence of my amazing sexual prowess."

She lowered her head and gave him a sideways glance, she saw Tom grinning at her stupidly, "Shut up and get that grin off your face, Lieutenant," she said in mock seriousness.

"Yes Ma'am," he saluted as he continued to grin.

"I'm beginning to think the prowess isn't worth the cocky attitude," she quipped in a hushed tone, raising one eyebrow.

The Doctor, letting them both know he could hear them, chose this moment to interject with a witty line of his own, "I couldn't agree with you more, Captain. He is correct though, your brain is lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. To be fair, so is his."

"Fine," she said giving in. "My brain is a Christmas tree. Now, can you tell us what it means?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. I need to do a thorough comparison of your scans against scans of the average human's brain, and see where the differences lie. I'm going to need one more scan from both of you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Doctor," Kathryn said as she slid off the biobed. "We'll see you this time tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but, I need certain conditions to be maintained until the scans."

"You're not trying to say that we need to stay in sickbay, are you?"

"Not at all, but, you do need to stay away from each other." The Doctor ordered. When neither of his patients said anything, he continued, "For the next twenty-four hours you are to have no contact with each other, whatsoever. I think it will be helpful to see what changes take place in your brains when you are not interacting with each other. Captain, if I could see you at this time tomorrow; and Mister Paris, I will let you know when you can come to sickbay. I need to know you won't be running into each other in the corridor or," he paused and continued with a wry smile, "the turbolift."

"Try to be out of here in the next ten minutes," The Doctor said quickly before deactivating himself.

Tom hopped off the biobed and faced Kathryn, "I suppose that was his way of discreetly giving us some time alone, before being banished from one another's presence. How do you feel about a quickie in sickbay?"

"Not ever, the Doctor's just waiting for the perfect moment to reactivate himself."

"Let's not forget that any number of crew members could show up here," Tom said, sounding a lot like Kathryn when she was in Captain mode.

"Really, Tom, do you need to do that?" she said in reproach.

"Just making sure you know that I do have some common sense before I go ahead and do something completely rash," he quickly grabbed her around the waist, pulling her full against him. "Chances are, only Kes would show up here and she knows how to keep a secret."

Before she had a chance to utter a protest Tom's mouth locked with hers. He ran his hands up her arms and into her hair, holding her face to his in desperation. He knew the desperation he was feeling was irrational, they'd spent longer then twenty-four hours apart since their return to Voyager. It just seemed being ordered to stay away from each other was so much worse then choosing to stay away from each other.

Tom had her against the wall between the biobeds, holding her fast to him, taking as much of her as she would give him. He moved one of his hands back down her body, as his tongue continued it's assault on hers. Tom roughly wrapped his fingers around one of her thighs, pulling her leg up and around his waist, giving him a better position to press himself into her core.

A throaty moan escaped her lips, instinctively rocking herself against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He moved his lips to her jaw as his hands worked their way between them and to the zipper of her jacket. As the jacket fell open, he moved his hands underneath the garment and splayed them against her back.

Tom quickly began pulling her gray undershirt out of her uniform pants, needing to feel her heated flesh. He ran his hands under the shirt and up her sides. His thumbs brushed against her nipples through the fabric of her bra as he held her more firmly against the wall with his hips.

"I want you," he said into her ear as he captured the soft skin between his lips.

"Oh yes," she groaned as his hands began to push her shirt further up.

Kathryn moved her hands to his jaw, holding his face still as her lips searched out his again. Completely lost in the feel of each other they were startled apart as the computer's voice reverberated through sickbay. "The Emergency Medical Hologram will be reactivated in two minutes."

With eyes that were wild with desire, she stared at Tom as she quickly righted her uniform and brought her hands up to check her hair. "What the hell! How is it that I go from being completely rational to totally insane in a matter of seconds?"

Tom was about to answer when she gave him her _'don't even think about saying anything'_ look. "Never mind. Do I look presentable enough to leave sickbay?"

His eyes ran over her body with a look of desperate want reflected in them. "You look amazing, ravishing, sexy as hell..." he began.

"But, do I look presentable?" she said impatiently. "I don't want to still be here when the Doctor reactivates himself. I don't know whether to be thankful or appalled that he knew we'd need the warning."

"Yes, you look very much the Captain right now" he answered.

"Good. I'll see you later."

Kathryn went to move around Tom to leave, he reached his arm out and placed it around her waist as he moved in front of her. He ran the fingers of his other hand over her lips gently before placing a light kiss on her swollen mouth. "I'll see you in twenty-four hours. That's when I intend to blow your mind."

Tom smiled brightly at her as he turned and walked out of sickbay. Before the doors had a chance to close behind him, Tom turned around and said, "The freckles are really cute. I like them."

All Kathryn could do was stare after him with a grin on her face, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She should be mortified by her behavior. Instead all she was thinking about was that if the Doctor had given them twenty minutes, instead of ten, she'd be naked and screaming right now.

=/\=

"Why am I bringing you dinner?" Harry asked as he entered Tom's quarters carrying two plates of Neelix's latest concoction.

"Doctor's orders," Tom eyed the plates, "That doesn't look too dangerous."

"I've learned that looks can be deceiving when it comes to Neelix's cooking. What were the Doctor's orders?"

"No contact with the Captain for twenty-four hours." Tom answered as he sat at the table.

Harry couldn't resist teasing Tom a bit as he sat down, placing a plate in front of each of them. "Is he afraid you're going to injure each other?"

"The sex is **that **good," Tom grinned as he watched Harry shift uncomfortably. "But, no, he's doing brain scans and he wants one from each of us tomorrow morning, after we haven't had any contact for twenty-four hours. He wants to see what kind of changes have taken place. I'm not even going to pretend to know what he's looking for."

The two friends began to eat their dinner. "Not too bad," Tom said about half way through his meal. "Not too good, either."

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "So, about Chakotay. He really knows what's going on?"

"I guess. Kathryn said she told him everything," he shrugged. "I guess now I have to wait to see what he does to me."

"Torture you slowly is my guess," Harry quipped, then added in a more serious tone, "Do you think he's in love with her, like everyone suspects?"

"Kathryn doesn't think he is. Which tells me she's not really thinking of him in that way. Which I admit pleases me to no end," Tom answered. "What do I think? I think if she was offering, he wouldn't turn her down."

"It's still weird to hear you call the Captain Kathryn. But, I'm getting used to it," Harry said as he took another bite of his dinner.

"I'm glad," Tom smiled. "And don't think for one minute I didn't see you checking her out this morning."

Harry was silent for a moment, then replied, "The Captain has freckles."

"What is wrong with you?" Tom said in mock disappointment. "The most beautiful woman on the ship was standing before you in nothing but a t-shirt and you noticed what? Her freckles!"

"The freckles surprised me, that's all," Harry said in his own defense. "Besides, I noticed other **things**, I just thought if I mentioned those you might beat me up. You seem rather possessive of her."

Tom gave a full laugh, "You've got me there, Harry. But, you're safe. I only seem to be that way with Chakotay."

"I suppose in a bid for the Captain's heart, Chakotay would be your biggest rival."

"You're right, he would be. I'd never really given a lot of thought to why I act that way about Chakotay. But, really, he's the only guy on this ship I could see her ending up with."

"You really don't think I stand a chance with her?" Harry asked with a slight smile on his face and feigned sadness in his voice.

"Harry, I barely stand a chance with her."


	12. Chapter 12

NOTE: The science is mine, don't go poking holes into it.

I hope everyone reading is enjoying the story.

=/\=

"Doctor, what are your thoughts on the situation?" Kathryn asked as the EMH looked over her newest brain scan.

She'd arrived in sickbay in the morning, as the Doctor had instructed, and was now waiting to hear his thoughts on Tom and her situation since the transwarp flight. "I'd like to get Mr. Paris's scan and then talk with the both of you about my findings."

"Doctor, I'd appreciate if you'd tell me what you think, right now," she said in her command voice. "I would like some time to consider my options before I discuss the matter with Tom."

"Of course, Captain. Why don't we go into my office and I will give you my preliminary report."

The Captain sat down in the chair across from the Doctor as he brought the necessary information up on his terminal. He turned the screen for the Captain to view as he launched into his explanation. "When you finally presented the true nature of your and Mister Paris's symptoms it immediately brought to mind several species known to the Federation that have lifelong pair bonds. Armed with the information in Voyager's databank, I did extensive scans of both of you. Knowing what sorts of changes I should be looking for, it was relatively simple to discover the differences in your physiology."

"What did you find?"

"The fist significant change I discovered was that both of your vomeronasal organs are active, in the human species it has been vestigial for millennia.

"The vomeronasal organ is a receptor on the roof of the mouth. Pheromones enter the organ and the molecules are transformed into neural signals that travel to your olfactory bulb and then to your amygdala and hpothalamus.

"I should point out there is no way for me to know how you chose each other, but, it would seem that you both did indeed choose each other," The Doctor paused for a moment to let the impact of this knowledge to sink in.

He continued, "In most pair bonding species hormone levels in both parties began to change immediately after the choice has been made. Their bodies release large amounts of nor-epinephrine, which I'm sure you are aware acts as a kind of pick-me-up, very similar to when you ingest large quantities of coffee. This leads to a sort of mania, obsessive thoughts and to sleeplessness, which are all typical in the first stage of romantic love. While all of this also happens in humans in the beginning stages of romantic love, it is happening on a much grander scale within you and the Lieutenant.

"In most species that bond, soon after the initial bonding occurs, they will become visibly relaxed. As they get used to one another their levels of cortisol drop and they both release high levels of oxytocin as a direct result of one another's presence.

"Because we had no way to foresee this happening to you, I don't know if this occurred with the two of you. But, I have seen you are both indeed releasing high levels of oxytocin and dopamine during copulation. In addition, at least in your case, your cortisol levels have increased in the last twenty-four hours. We can assume something similar to these circumstances occurred with you and Lieutenant Paris," the Doctor brought up a different series of scans on the terminal.

"You, Captain, unintentionally added another variable into an already very potent hormonal cocktail; you ovulated. Which may have thrown the entire bonding system out of whack. In most species that pair bond, menstruation or estrus doesn't occur for the first time until sometime after the pair is bonded, brought on by the hormonal changes or in some cases the smell of the male. The need to perpetuate the species, so to speak, can be strong. With what I was told about your and Mister Paris's first union, it would seem that in your case it overwhelms. I believe I can stop a situation similar to your first copulation from reoccurring simply by administering a contraception hypospray at an appropriate time."

"Excuse me!" Kathryn said, startled. "Are you saying that I'm not on one?"

"Indeed not," the Doctor replied. "I informed you and Lieutenant Paris of this fact before you left sickbay. If I'd known you were currently sexually active I would have made sure it was part of your first round of inoculations"

After an intentional pause, his holographic way of evening the score for her withholding medical information, he added, "Not to worry, you are not pregnant. I can administer a contraceptive before you leave."

"Thank you," she said sharply, knowing the Doctor was enjoying her discomfort.

"Both you and Lieutenant Paris have had a massive reorganization of neurochemical pathways," The Doctor continued with his findings as he brought up her brain scans. "This is a scan of a typical human and this one is your current scan."

The Doctor drew attention to the area of interest, "As you can see there has been are significant differences in this area. These multi-hued areas are new connections between areas of your brain. All of them converge on the nucleus accumbens, most commonly known as the feel-good center in almost all species."

At a break in his lecture Kathryn broke in, "Doctor, while the scientist in me is interested in a full report of what you've discovered about the situation, right now I just need the bare facts and if anything can be done."

"The simplest way to explain this is that humans think sex feels great. Humans, as a species, associate that feeling with the act of sex itself, instead of with the specific person they are doing the act with. This is because humans get most of their post-orgasm feel-good from dopamine and very little of the feel-good comes from oxytocin, they just don't have enough of the correct receptors. That's why humans so often stray when in a long term relationship, sex usually feels great, no matter who you're doing it with. Not to say that a human won't find greater meaning with a person they have a deep personal connection with.

"You and Mister Paris have an over-abundance of oxytocin receptors in the area of the brain associated with natural rewards , more then a hundred times as many as occur in the average human. Much of your orgasmic feel-good is coming from oxytocin. These oxytocin receptors make you think sex feels great with a specific partner. In this case, each other.

"To add fuel to the flame, both of your dopamine levels were more then double what the average human's would be post-orgasm, in other words, for the two of you, sex feels really great, with each other.

"Considering you've both mentioned being able to smell the other person and you have active vomeronasal organs, the excess release of oxytocin and dopamine are probably a direct result of each other. Sex with a different partner will not result in the same orgasmic high or general feeling of well-being you get with each other.

"The decrease in cortisol and the increased release of oxytocin will make you more relaxed when you are physically close to the Lieutenant. I don't mean just during intercourse, you should feel yourself relaxing when you are in the same room with him. This effect will more than likely make you both uninterested in finding a different partner, as you will not get the same feeling of well-being and security with someone else. After all, if the same events happened with anyone, there would be no reason to sustain a monogamous pair bond.

"I expect to find much the same thing with Mister Paris, with the addition of an increase in vasopressin receptors on his ventral pallidums. That would account for his increased aggression and stamina," The Doctor finished.

"What can be done?" Kathryn asked.

"You want to end this?" the Doctor questioned. "Even if you chose him unconsciously, you did choose him."

"I don't know what I want to do," Kathryn replied bluntly. "I want to know what can be done."

"Other then contraceptives, not much. Any surgery would be strongly discouraged, the area of the brain is very delicate. Voyager is not equipped to deal with a surgery of that magnitude, even if it was recommend. It would be too easy to make a mistake, with disastrous results . Any drugs that would help suppress the reactions you have to each other would also hinder your reactions in high stress situations. As long as you Captain and the Lieutenant flies this ship, I cannot prescribe any drugs to you for this, it could endanger the lives of the entire crew."

"I see," she said simply.

"This doesn't mean you can't choose to end it, humans are a higher thinking species. There would be side effects to ending the relationship, higher stress levels, edginess, depression. You would probably see all the symptoms of an addiction withdrawal and, like an addiction, it would be likely that you would seek each other out in high stress situations and relapse.

"Your new biology may tell you one thing, but, you are still capable of listening to your brain." He paused before adding, "At least you are."

Kathryn raised an eye brow at the Doctor, mouth down turned in a frown.

"What I mean is, you are much more disciplined than Mister Paris. You deal with high stress better than most people and would be able to handle more without feeling the need to go to him. Mister Paris will be much more likely to need you to deal with situations that are out of the ordinary, especially considering there will already be added stress due to the end of your relationship."

The Doctor turned off the terminal and closed it, facing her fully, he folded his hands together and placed them on his desk, "With all that being said, my medical opinion is that you explore your relationship with the Lieutenant, and find a way to reconcile it with being the Captain of this vessel."

Kathryn was yet again surprised by the Doctor, "Why is this your medical opinion?"

"Captain, you are currently living a life that is high stress, much more so then most people, and you handle it admirably. But, you have very little relief from that stress, it is a constant in the delta quadrant and it's more than likely going to continue for the foreseeable future. This is already shown in your habits; too much coffee, insomnia and lack of appetite. Ending the relationship would only exasperate all of these. While continuing it would give you an outlet for your stress. Considering that Mister Paris grew up in a Starfleet family, he is in a better position than most members of the crew to understand the strains that your command puts on you.

"I cannot advocate a course of action that would cause more stress, especially when the alternative would, in fact, decrease your stress and improve your overall well-being."

Kathryn said, mostly to herself, "What's good for the Captain is good for the crew."

=/\=

Harry Kim entered Tom Paris's quarters for the second time in as many days.

"Hey, Harry, glad you came."

"I could hardly pass up a free replicator lunch," Harry answered as he sat down at Tom's table. "I take it you talked to the Doctor?"

"Yeah," he answered, "It was very enlightening, though most of what he said was way over my head. I'm a pilot not a doctor. What I took away from the meeting is that Kathryn and I have pair bonded with each other and that while it would be uncomfortable, we could end this. Though, the Doctor suggests that we give the relationship a try."

"Really?" Harry asked surprised. "He thinks the Captain should keep sleeping with you?"

"You don't need to make it sound like some disgusting task."

"I didn't mean it that way, you know," Harry said. "It's just that she's the captain and it kind of goes against Starfleet regulations."

"We're a long way from Federation space, Harry. Should she stay alone for the rest of her life, just because she's the Captain?"

Harry had never really considered the position the Captain was in if they didn't find a quicker way home. "I suppose not."

"But, the argument is moot, anyways. The Doctor told me the Captain wanted some time alone to consider everything he told her and she'd come talk to me when she was ready. I think she's going to try to end it," Tom said with more then a little sadness in his voice.

"Why?"

"Like you said, she's the captain and it's against Starfleet regulations," he answered. "She's made herself into the ultimate captain since we've been in the DQ. As a captain, she's more approachable then most and, yet, she's still larger than life. She's made sure she projects an air of complete confidence and competence, someone the entire crew can put their trust and faith in. Don't you think dating the guy you got out of prison undermines that, just a little?"

"Tom, most of the crew is past that, they see you for what you've become. I'm sure the Captain doesn't view you like that at all. She's always seemed a little more friendly with you, than with others."

"You don't think she'll try to end it?" Tom asked hopefully.

"I don't know her well enough to be able to tell you what I think she'll do," Harry admitted and then asked the question that had entered his mind as he listened to Tom lament about a possible end to his relationship with Captain Janeway. "Are you in love with her?"

Tom smiled and gave a soft chuckle, "She asked me that same question a couple of nights ago, and I told her that I didn't know. But, having had the time to actually think about my feelings for her, yeah, I think I just might be in love with her."


	13. Chapter 13

Kathryn removed the dinner plates from the table as Chakotay poured them each another glass of wine and carried both to the couch. As she joined him, he handed her one of the glasses.

"Okay, Kathryn, we've talked about ship's business and every mundane thing you could think of," he said with a smile on his lips. "I think it's time to talk about what's really on your mind."

"I talked with the Doctor this morning," she said before taking a drink of her wine. "I've been considering everything he told me and trying to decide what I should do."

"Let's start with what the Doctor told you," Chakotay suggested.

"I suppose that would be the best place to start. It appears that Tom and my physiologies did not, in fact, revert back to how they were before we left Voyager. We have acquired some added receptors in our brains and it would appear that we have pair bonded with each other.

"Long drawn out scientific explanation aside, the Doctor suggests that I continue the relationship with Tom."

"That's a convenient way to get around Starfleet protocols on shipboard fraternization," Chakotay joked.

"I've been medically cleared to have sex with my helmsman, I have nothing to worry about," she said as she left the sofa and moved to the window, watching the stars streak by.

Kathryn looked back towards Chakotay, "I'm Starfleet, Chakotay, through and through. It goes against everything I've been taught and believe shouldn't happen aboard a starship. It's asking for trouble. He is under my command, I shouldn't have a relationship with him, or any other member of **my** crew."

Chakotay left the sofa and moved to the window, standing next to Kathryn, he squeezed her arm gently to make sure he had her full attention. "I realize this is out of the realm of your normal behaviors and it does go against your thoughts of what should go on aboard a starship. But, so have other decisions you've had to make out here. You've bent your Starfleet way of thinking before. After all, I'm your first officer, instead of a guest of the brig.

"This is difficult for you, because, it's personal. You're going to have to bend on this, too. Or you're going to drive yourself into the ground before we make it home. Whether it's Tom or someone else, eventually you're going to need someone you can go to and not be the Captain, someone you can be open with. This could be good for you."

"Getting this crew home is my top priority and it has to remain that way," she responded as she turned to look into his face. "I don't know that there's enough of me left to have a real relationship with anyone. Tom deserves more. He had to share his father with Starfleet, he shouldn't have to make that sacrifice, again. " she sighed.

Chakotay gave Kathryn a small smile, "Maybe you're worth the sacrifice. If you're willing to try, then you should give Paris the opportunity to make that choice for himself."

"Which just leaves the question, Am I willing to try?"

"Only you can make that decision."

=/\=

After Harry had left his quarters to return to the bridge, Tom stalked the area of the room like a caged animal. He wanted to go to Kathryn, to find out what she was thinking. He refrained from going to her quarters, intent on giving her the time she felt she needed.

Hours past, she didn't come, she didn't contact him. The longer he was left with his thoughts, the more certain he became that she wanted to end this thing between them. When Harry commed him to see if he wanted to meet in the messhall for dinner, Tom declined, he was in no mood to be around people.

Shortly after talking with Harry, Tom called for the computer to darken the room as he went into the bathroom. He took a long shower, then wrapped his robe around himself and burrowed himself into the corner of the sofa. He didn't bother asking for the lights again, he just sat in the dark. He'd asked the computer where she was and then asked where the Commander was.

Together, in her quarters, probably having a nice quiet dinner and discussing how best to get rid of him.

He hadn't called for the lights or moved from the sofa for an hour, he continued to sit and brood. Chakotay was still in her quarters and Tom was becoming depressed at the thought of the conversation he was going to eventually have with Kathryn. Though, not tonight, he assumed, it was getting late. He just hoped she would cut straight to the end, like she did during senior staff briefings, no need to drag out breaking his heart.

An hour later, when his door chimed, he assumed it was Harry, coming to check up on him. When the door slid open, the silhouette he saw against the brightened corridor was not that of his friend's, but Kathryn's.

She walked far enough into the room for the door to slide shut behind her, he'd let her in, he wasn't asleep. She thought that maybe he'd gone to bed. "Tom," she said softly.

She didn't hear anything for a few moments, then she heard movement coming from the sofa. Before she had a chance to say anything, she found herself being pushed backwards until she was against the wall next to the door, with Tom's body pressed against her's. His lips quickly captured her's in a hard and frantic kiss. His tongue delved between her parted lips, exploring it's moist depths. He roughly grabbed her thigh, lifting it to his waist, pressing himself more fully into her. They were in much the same position as they had been in sickbay the morning before. She moaned as his intrusion into her mouth became more insistent.

She brought her hands up to his chest, sliding her hands underneath the opening of his robe, to feel his warm skin against the palms of her hands. Running her hands up and over his shoulders, loosening the tie of the robe as her hands went from his shoulders to his biceps, taking the robe with her.

"Tom," she whimpered into his mouth as he continued to kiss her unmercifully.

He pulled away from her mouth, "You've been with Chakotay and you've been drinking," he said shallowly.

"We had dinner," she answered as she felt his lips move across her neck and his hands slip under her shirt.

His hands slid across her smooth flesh and his fingers lightly stroked her breasts through the fabric of her bra before moving back out from under her shirt and to the buttons. He kissed her again as he fumbled with the first button before getting it undone.

As he worked on the second button, he pulled his lips away from her and breathed, "I've been waiting for you and you were talking with **him**."

"I needed a sounding board," Kathryn murmured as she tried to capture his lips with hers.

Impatient Tom took each side of her shirt in his hands and ripped the buttons from their holes. "I don't want to know right now," he whispered briskly, his mouth descending6 on her neck and he pulled her shirt from her arms.

His hands were on her again, exploring her as his lips sucked and licked her neck. She was vaguely aware that he was going to leave evidence of their encounter on her neck. Any protests were soon forgotten when he undid her bra and moved his hands to caress her hardened nipples.

A soft hum came from deep in her throat as he continued to assault her with his hands and lips.

"Take your shoes off," he commanded as he undid her pants and his fingers slid beneath her waistband.

She lowered the leg that was wrapped around his waist and she kicked out of her shoes as he slid her pants and underwear over her hips. They pooled on the floor around her feet and she stepped out of them. His hands were everywhere, she needed to feel his skin against her. Kathryn quickly undid the loosened tie around his waist and his robe fell open. As her hands found his skin, Tom shrugged out of the robe.

Kathryn brought her leg back up and hooked it around his waist, pulling him nearer to her. She could feel his hardness pressed against her and she could feel her need welling up inside her. He stroked her skin with a firm hand and she moaned in pleasure at his touch.

He wrapped his hands around her thighs and lifted her, bracing her against the wall. Kathryn wrapped her other leg around Tom's back, crossing her ankles to help give them more balance. He pulled her pelvis closer to him as she reached for his erection to help guide him into her. As soon as he made contact with her opening he pushed up into her as the hands gripping her thighs pulled her down fully onto him.

Kathryn brought her hands around Tom's neck, her fingers finding their way into his hair. Tom thrust deep inside her and his breathing was already becoming erratic, "Kathryn ... Beautiful … Kathryn, touch yourself," he commanded. "I'm not going to last much longer."

Kathryn obeyed, leaning back slightly and tilting her pelvis to give herself enough room to work her hand between. The shift of her body caused Tom's pelvis to rub against her clitoris with each thrust. Their was no longer a need for her to stimulate herself. The friction from their contact sent her soaring, "Yes," she moaned, voicing her deep desire aloud. "Keep going. Oh, yes, keep going."

She wrapped her one arm more firmly around his neck and the other moved up his chest to grip his shoulder. Her fingers dug almost painfully into his skin. He was on fire. His thrusts became faster as Kathryn used her arms to push herself down on his body.

Her orgasm erupted around her, sending blissful sensations through every inch of her body. Her head flew back, hitting the wall hard, but, she didn't register pain, she was delirious with amazement at the intensity of her orgasm. As the waves of passion continued to flow through her, Tom's body stiffened as he released himself into her.

His head fell against her shoulder and his lips found her neck, nipping at her lightly. Spent he continued to move his hips, continuing the contact between her clitoris and his pelvis. She could again feel the slow build of sensations in her body as heat flushed her from head to toe.

Her fingers on his shoulder dug deeper in, leaving nail marks on his skin as her body exploded again. Still wrapped around Tom as she came back to herself, she pulled his face up to capture his lips.

Her limbs felt lethargic as he eased himself out of her and put her on the floor. Her legs immediately gave out beneath her. Tom was still holding onto her and pulled her against himself to keep her from sliding to the floor. "What have you done to me? I can't even walk. I don't think anything works anymore."

"Don't worry, I'll get you to the bedroom."

"Yesterday you did promise to blow my mind. Nice work."

He brushed his lips across hers before picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom. "Kathryn, do you have enough control of your arms to reach down and move the blanket?"

"Maybe," she smiled as she reached down and threw the blanket out of the way.

Tom laid her on the bed and looked at her for a long moment before running the back of his hand over her cheek. He reached for the blanket to cover her with. "Sleep, beautiful," he said before he moved round to the other side of the bed and slipped in next to her. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Kathryn rolled onto her side and cuddled up against Tom's side, "Yes, tomorrow." She kissed his shoulder as she mumbled, "Goodnight."

Tom pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, "Sleep well, Kathryn."


	14. Chapter 14

Kathryn slowly came awake sometime in the middle of the night, she was lying on her back and she could feel Tom's fingers lightly brushing across her stomach. She turned her head towards Tom, he was awake, with his head propped on his hand as he looked down at her.

She gave him a small smile, that was hard to see, but, could be heard in her voice, "Have you slept?"

"A little," he smiled back. "I didn't mean to wake you up, go back to sleep."

He leaned his head down and gave her a light kiss. "Are you going to watch me? I don't think I can sleep if you are."

"I'll sleep, too," he said as he gathered her into his arms, her bare back pressed against his chest.

Tom's fingers moved lightly through her hair, massaging her scalp, she relaxed into the feeling and was soon asleep, again.

The next time she woke, she found the place next to her in bed empty. Her internal clock was telling her that it was still in the very early hours of the morning. She slipped from beneath the covers and went to Tom's closet, grabbing the t-shirt on top of the small pile and puling it over her head.

She made her way to the living area and found Tom sitting on the sofa, in the dark. She walked over to sofa and sat down next to him. "I hope you don't mind, but, I don't think my shirt made it through you trying to take it off," she said lightly.

Tom looked over at her, "I don't mind at all," he said wistfully.

Kathryn brought her knee up on to the couch, moving to face him with her arm laying across the back of the couch, "What's on your mind?" she asked, feeling worried by Tom's mood.

"Nothing," he lied. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Tom, something has been wrong since I walked in the door, you just distracted me with sex" she placed her hand on his thigh. "Tell me."

"I understand why you can't do this with me," he said as he took her hand off his thigh and moved it to her own lamp. "With me of all people."

"With you of all people! What the hell does that mean?" she asked, a little irked at the way he was referring to himself.

"You're the Captain and I'm just some convict you got out of prison, a guy who got himself kicked out of Starfleet, a guy who's never been able to get anything right."

"That's not how I see you," Kathryn whispered, moving her hand back to his thigh. "Never once. Nothing you've done since you've been on Voyager makes you that man."

"Kathryn, Starfleet booted me out and you found me doing manual labor in the penal colony in New Zealand. Those things are real," he stated. "You can't change them."

"You were young and found yourself in a bad situation. Lying about the accident wasn't right and if you hadn't lied about it, you wouldn't have been kicked out of Starfleet. Coming forward and telling the truth, when there was no reason to, says a lot about the man you really are."

Tom just sat next to her looking at the hand she had placed back on his leg. "I'm sorry I took so long to come here. I needed some time to consider everything."

"So you went to Chakotay," he said flatly.

"Yes, Chakotay has a way of helping me order my thoughts and put things in perspective. He's a good first officer and a good friend. But, nothing more, Tom," Kathryn firmly stated. "You're positive that I'm here to end this."

"I was pretty positive this was over the minute the Doctor said it would be possible to end it. You spending the evening with Chakotay just cemented my reasoning," confirmed Tom. "I can't imagine, considering the way I think he feels about you, he'd help you come to the decision to give this a try."

"Actually, that's exactly what he did," Kathryn smiled, before continuing. "I'm not going to lie and say I don't have any reservations about the Captain having a relationship with a member of her crew, because, I have a lot of them. I also have reservations about the relationship being with you."

Tom opened his mouth to speak, but, Kathryn stopped him before he could voice his assumptions. "Tom, just listen, okay?"

He nodded his head and she continued, "My reservations having nothing to do with anything you said earlier. Tom, Voyager and my crew will always be my first priority. I will never be able to put what I want or, for that matter, what I need before them, and that includes a relationship. I'm not even sure if there's enough of me left to sustain a relationship. I don't think it's fair to put you in that position. But, Chakotay told me that if I was willing to try, I should let you make that choice for yourself."

Kathryn shifted her body and moved to straddle Tom, settling herself on his lap. She gently cradled his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, "I want to be with you, that was never up for discussion. It was always about whether or not I could do it. I came here to tell you, I'm willing to try."

Tom wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him and buried his face in her neck. She wrapped her arms around him in return. "This is where I want to be," she whispered in his ear.

"I never thought you'd ..." he started as his lips began to kiss their way up her neck and across her jaw. "I want to be with you."

His lips found hers and he poured all of his emotions into the kiss he gave her. The feelings he conveyed to her with his lips took her breath away.

They continued to kiss for long moments, Tom ran his hands up her thighs and under the hem of her shirt continuing to meet with naked flesh. He finally pulled his lips away from hers, "Why, Captain, you've got nothing on under my shirt."

Kathryn gave a short laugh, "Well, my clothes are all somewhere over by the door to your quarters, I didn't feel it was necessary to search for them."

"I like it," Tom said as he ran his hands over her ass.

"You'll have to accost me as I walk through the door more often," she said, planting a kiss on his neck.

"Well, I thought you were here to tell me we were through. I had to do something to keep you from telling me and in our current states we're both easily distracted by sex."

Kathryn looked at him with a sly half smile on her face, "So, I was right, the sex was a distraction measure. It worked wonders." She then admitted, "I'd never had sex standing up before."

"Never?"

"No. Mark wouldn't have been able to keep his balance, it never would have worked," she giggled, a very uncaptian-like sound, thinking of him trying to do what Tom had done to her. "Despite his adventurous job, Justin was more of the in the bed with the lights out sort of guy."

"I know you've never had sex in the ready room, but, you said that was a no go. You'll have to let me know what else you've never done before and we'll have to see what we can do," he said, pulling her shirt up.

Kathryn grasped his hands in her own, pulling the t-shirt back down. "Sorry, I need more sleep," she said with remorse. "I've been cleared for duty and have to be on the bridge in a few hours. I'd like a couple of more hours in bed," she started, when she saw the look on Tom's face she amended, "To sleep, Tom. I need more sleep."

"I suppose, I could let you sleep some more. But, why do you get bridge duty and I don't?"

"The Doctor thought it might be best if my first few bridge shifts didn't include you. A little time to get use to working and dealing with our changes. Before throwing us in the same room together with other people."

"We'd all hate it if the Captain suddenly became an exhibitionist," Tom teased her.

"I don't know, Harry seemed to like what he saw," she deadpanned back.

"Ohhh, touche, my Captain," Tom laughed.

Kathryn kissed him quickly before she stood up and started towards the bed, taking the t-shirt off as she went. "How exactly am I suppose to think about sleeping when you do things like that?" Tom asked, following close behind her.

Kathryn turned her head, looking at Tom over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow and gave him a awry grin before stating, "I could always order you to sleep, Lieutenant."

Following Kathryn's lead, Tom let his robe fall to the floor as he made his way to the bed. He twined his arms around her waist before she had a chance to get into the bed, kissing her bare shoulder. "I must obey, my captain."

They tumbled into bed with Kathryn's back pressed to his chest, he kissed her shoulder, again, as he brushed her thick tresses away from her neck, giving his lips access to the sensitive skin behind her ear.

"Perhaps we should belay that last order," she breathed, turning in his arms, she pressed herself against him. "I think I might like your idea better."

She pressed her lips hard to his, slipping her tongue into his hot mouth as she used her hands to push him onto his back. Tom pulled Kathryn on top of his body, running his fingers through her long mane, "I've always thought that you're ability to see the validity of your crew's ideas, even when they contradict your own, to be a strength of yours."

Kathryn lay against him, rubbing her chest against his, savoring the feel of his chest hairs tickling her nipples, "In this case, Mister Paris, flattery might just get you everything you want."

"Computer, lights twenty-five percent illumination," as the computer complied, he saw Kathryn's small smile. "What can I say? I like to watch your body."

"I'm not complaining," she laughed as she gave him a quick kiss. Straddling Tom, she sat up and slid her mound along Tom's erection. She continued to rub herself against him as the sensations continued to build up in her core, radiating out to encompass her whole body.

Tom lightly ran the palms of his hands over her thighs, across her stomach, over her breasts. His touch was feather light, palms barely touching her heated skin. She moved above him, pressing herself hard against him, "This is what I love to watch," he said.

Kathryn needed more, she pressed her upper body into Tom's hands as she ground her lower body into his. "Touch me," she pleaded.

Tom did as she commanded, rolling both nipples between his fingers and pinching. Watching the way she moved her lithe body above his, his own need increased. He slowly slid one hand down her side following the supple curve of her waist to her hip and down to the outside of her thigh.

She moaned softly as the sensations continued to build in momentum, quickening her hips as she slid her body against his. Tom rocked his hips in time with her movements and watched as the added movements caused her to flush from head to toe. He could feel the heat radiating from her as he moved the hand on her thigh inward. His thumb made contact with her clitoris, he rubbed it with a firm stroke, causing her fluid movements to falter.

Tom guided his other hand from her breast to the inside of her thigh. He parted her folds with one hand, giving the thumb of his other hand fuller access, as he continued to tease her clitoris. "Tom, right there," burst from her lips as she ground herself down on his hand.

Tom watched Kathryn in delight as her body began to shake, he was mesmerized by her. His breath came out in a throaty gasp as he followed the path her hands were taking over her own stomach, until finally she cupped her breasts with her hands. She circled her nipples with her thumbs several times before using her thumb and forefinger to squeeze them roughly.

He continued to watch as she caressed herself with her hands. Kathryn let out a gasp and her gyrations became more erratic, Tom looked up at her face. He found her absolutely breathtaking with her head bowed, hair flowing freely around her, bottom lip caught between her teeth and her eyes closed. She was on the edge and he was ready to send her over.

He quickened the motion of his thumb on her clitoris and Kathryn's body went rigid. She pressed herself firmly into Tom as her motions stilled, her back arched, for head fell backwards and she squeezed her breasts harder as she begged Tom not to stop. "Oh, yes," she moaned as her juices flowed freely over his erection and she collapsed on top of him.

Tom changed the position of his hand, trapped between their bodies, and now lightly squeezed her clitoris between his index and middle fingers. Her entire body continued to shake as Tom's ministration prolonged the aftershocks of her orgasm. As her breathing started to slow and even out, Tom slid a hand from between them and placed it on her waist. He stroked up and down her soft, moist skin from waist to thigh. "Lift up," he said as he used his hand on her thigh to show her what he wanted.

"I can't move," she mumbled into his chest. "I don't think my brain has control of anything."

Tom laughed, "I'm not finished with you, yet." He pulled his other hand out from under her and wrapped his hands round her thighs and pulled them forward, making her hips shift into the position he wanted them to be in. He reached between their bodies once again and grasped his erection in his hands, guiding it to her wet opening. With his other hand on her hip, he pushed her back down on his groin and he slid fully into her.

"Oh, damn, Tom," she moaned as he used his hands on her hips to slide her up and down his body.

Kathryn's was pressed against his body, chest to hips, with her thighs tight against his outer thighs, she could feel every small movement through her entire body. Her nub was inflamed from her dramatic orgasm moments before and their gentle rocking was rubbing her against Tom's pelvis and his pubic hair, sending her immediately over the edge, again.

Tom had been incredibly close to completion before he had even enter her, it didn't take long for him to feel his inevitable end approaching. Kathryn's arousal had her inner walls clenching his engorged member from the moment he entered her. She was so warm and wet he slid easily in and out of her.

He gripped Kathryn's hips tighter holding her firmly against his groin, his hips bucking into her of their own volition as his orgasm came surging forth. His body stiffened, his orgasm exploding inside her already slick folds, "You are amazing," he groaned. "Damn, amazing."

Kathryn lay collapsed against Tom, enjoying the feel of his warm body beneath hers. Tom moved his hands lazily up and down her back, letting his body relax under her. She bent her arms and rested er chin on her entwined fingers and looked up at Tom's face. She smiled at him, "I don't want to move."

"I want you to stay right were you are," he offered in return.

"Terrific, because, I have no intention of moving for awhile. I don't think I can."

Tom laughed at her, "You should see yourself. Hair all mussed, face all flushed and that satisfied grin on your face. It's all very sexy."

"You're not looking so bad yourself," she said before kissing him on the chin.

Tom took her chin in his hand and lifted her face up to view her neck, "You're going to need a dermal regenerator before your shift."

"You wouldn't happen to have one hidden in here somewhere?" she said as she yawned.

"No, I wouldn't. But, I'll let you get some sleep and I'll make a quick trip to sickbay to get you one," he offered.

"Sounds good," she moved her hands up into his hair, laying her cheek against his chest. "I still don't think I can move, I'm just too tired."

"If you're comfortable, just stay where you are."

Kathryn closed her eyes as Tom ran his hands up her back and into her hair. He massaged her scalp with gentle movements, she sighed in contentment. It didn't take long before he heard her breathing even out and felt her body relax into sleep.

He continued to hold her for long moments, marveling in the fact that she wanted to be with him. He didn't want to move, staying where he was seemed like a much better idea then getting up, getting dressed and heading to sickbay. He slowly maneuvered them onto their sides, he groaned as his now flaccid member slid from her body. She moaned softly and reached for him in her sleep as he rolled away from her. He smiled down at the hand that had taken hold off his arm, he gently picked up her hand, kissing it before placing it on the bed. He quietly left his bed, got dressed and headed for sickbay.


	15. Chapter 15

After leaving sickbay, Tom decided he wanted to talk to Harry and made his way through the nearly empty corridors to the ensign's quarters.

"Tom, is everything okay?" Harry asked, blurry eyed and rumpled, as Tom walked into his quarters. His worry over Tom's early morning visit apparent on his face.

"Terrific," Tom said. "I just wanted to let you know that the Captain will be on the bridge this morning."

"You woke me up nearly 2 hours early to tell me that she'll be on the bridge?"

"I didn't want you acting all weird around her, so, I thought I'd give you some advance warning."

"I wouldn't act all weird around her," Harry said defensively.

"Yeah, you will," Tom answered back. But, it will be okay, she'll forgive you."

Harry looked over his friend. "You seem to be in a better mood then you were when I asked about dinner. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Harry," Tom answered, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I was wrong. She wants to give this a try."

"Really?" Harry exclaimed, a matching smile on his face. "That's great for you. Weird for me, but, great for both of you."

"You'll get used to it," Tom answered.

"I'm sure I will." Harry spotted the dermal regenerator in Tom's hand, motioning to it, Harry asked, "Are you okay?"

Tom blushed slightly, "Ummm, actually the Captain needs it before she starts her shift."

"You've got to be kidding me! What the hell did you do to her?"

"Nothing she didn't enjoy," Tom replied with a grin.

"Please, don't tell me. I shouldn't have asked the question," Harry said, shaking his head. "At least, not yet. I'm not quiet ready to hear about the Captain's sex life."

"But, Harry," Tom whined, "Who else is there for me tell? I need to talk to someone about the amazing woman I've got in my bed."

"There's always Chakotay," Harry quipped.

"I'm sure Chakotay would really love to hear about what he's going to be missing," Tom said. "I'm certain if he doesn't want to kill me now, he'd want to after I told him all the things Kathryn likes to do."

"That's too close to telling me about the Captain's sex life," Harry stated with a yawn. "Congratulations on keeping the girl. Now can I go back to bed?"

"I suppose," Tom said. "I have to get back to my quarters, the Captain has some wicked bruises that need my medical attention."

=/\=

"Kathryn," Tom whispered as he ran his hand along the curve of her body.

He kissed his way up her arm, over her shoulder, lingering on her soft neck before working his way across her jaw and to her lips. "You need to wake up," he said against her lips.

She placed one hand on his hip and pulled him closer to her as she opened her eyes. "Good morning," she said before kissing him thoroughly, running her hand along his body.

As they pulled their lips away from each other Tom said, "I thought you'd like to get out of here before the Alpha shift is all up and about. The corridors will still be mostly empty for a little while longer."

"Thanks," Kathryn answered. "While I'd like my crew to know about us, I don't want them to find out by seeing me slinking out of your quarters in the early hours of the morning."

"How do you plan on telling them?" Tom asked, then added in observation, "That kind of makes it sound like you need to tell your children about your new boyfriend."

"Guess what? I imagine that's kind of how it feels." Kathryn admitted to him. "How about if we ease into it? Let them see us together more often. Before jumping into the whole, 'The Captain's got a boyfriend' thing. Let them speculate for a while."

"Before you get up," Tom started, showing her the dermal regenerator, "I suppose if you don't want the bridge crew saying 'Did you see the size of the hickey on the Captain's neck,' I had better fix you up a bit."

Tom went to work on removing the bruises from her neck, "Sorry about that, I got a little carried away last night."

Kathryn gave a short laugh, "Don't be. A little morning dermal regeneration never hurt anybody."

"I suppose not," he answered back as he finished with her neck and began checking over the rest of her body.

He found fingerprint bruises on her thighs, where he'd been grasping her hard as he held her up against the wall. He moved down to run the dermal regenerator over them.

When Kathryn slapped his hand away, Tom looked at her in confusion. "I wear pants on the bridge, no one is going to see them," Kathryn kissed him, again, before rolling out of bed with a sigh. "I suppose, the bridge awaits."

"Your clothes are in the bathroom. Sorry, but, your shirt didn't make it. I left a t-shirt in there for you."

"Kathryn smiled, "I'll have to confiscate the t-shirt as payment."

"Keep it," Tom said as his eyes wandered over her naked body. "I find you very sexy in my clothes and out of my clothes, for that matter."

"You're so easy," Kathryn laughed as she entered the bathroom.

Tom got out of bed and went to the replicator and asked for two cups of coffee. He was sitting at the table drinking his as she entered the room, dressed in his t-shirt. "Coffee for the road," he said motioning to the cup on the table.

Kathryn gave him a full smile. "You have won my heart," she sighed, picking up the cup and inhaling deeply before taking her first sip.

"Now who's easy?" Tom smiled.

She held the cup in both hands as she sat down at the table across from Tom. "I'm a little worried."

"About?" Tom asked.

"About what the crew will think. From everything you've said, I get the impression that the crew is of the opinion that Chakotay and I are a couple."

"Some of the crew believe that. It's all just speculation, though. Why, does that worry you?."

"I don't want them thinking I threw Chakotay out and started up with you."

"The crew would definitely look at me with new respect," he teased.

"Seriously, Tom," she said, not able to hide the smile at his joke. "I think it's important that Chakotay and I remain much the same as we have always been. The crew should see us together, like before."

She continued on a more personal note, "I value him, not only as my first officer, but, also as one of my closest friends. I don't want things to change between Chakotay and myself. Can you handle me being friends with the Commander?"

"Are you sure you can't just let Tuvok be your best friend?" he asked in jest. "Yes, Kathryn, I think I can handle you being friends with Chakotay. If I can't, I'm sure you'll have no problems with setting me straight."

Kathryn gave him a full smile as she stood up and moved over to him. Tom placed his hands on her hips as she leaned down and gave him a searching kiss. She regrettably pulled away, "I have to go get ready."

"I can see my long day of boredom ahead of me, already," Tom said.

"Meet me in the messhall for breakfast in an hour," Kathryn offered. "That should keep your boredom at bay for a few more hours."

"In public? Do you think we can handle it?" Tom teased.

"I'm convinced I can handle it, I'm a Starfleet Captain. I've had extensive training in how to keep my personal feelings to myself. We'll have to wait and see about you," she answered back. "If not, one of us can always leave."

Tom pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, taking a step closer to Kathryn, he wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. "In that case, I'd love to have breakfast with you. If only to prove to you that I can be taken out in public without causing a scene."

"I'm sure I have nothing to worry about," Kathryn answered back, bringing her arms around his neck and pulling his lips down to hers.

Their mouths melded together, both enjoying the slow exploration of each others lips. Tom 's hands found the hem of Kathryn's T-shirt and slid underneath to touch her smooth flesh. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss, "You should go, before it's too late," he let her go, taking a step away from her, "I'll see you in the messhall in an hour."

"Sounds good," Kathryn replied, taking a step that closed the distance he had just put between them.

She placed a hand on his chest, "Does this have a chance of working?"

"What? Keeping what's happening between us from your crew? That doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of working. I give it two days, but, they'll start asking each other questions tonight."

Tom reached up and caressed her lips as she smiled and continued, "If you're referring to us, then yes we have a chance. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure we have more then just a chance. With you is where I want to be."

Tom gave her a quick kiss and a gentle squeeze, "Now, get going or you're going to be late for our first public appearance."

She smiled as she walked towards the door. "I'm leaving, I'm leaving," she laughed as the door to his quarters slid open, she turned back towards Tom before leaving, "Tom, with you is where I want to be, too."


End file.
